Never Let Go
by runninequalslife
Summary: It's hard being best friends with the most popluar guy in school, East High's basketball captain Troy Bolton. But for Gabriella Montez, it's even harder when she can't help falling in love with him. Will they see how much they really mean to each other?
1. Livin' On A Prayer

**Title: **Never Let Go

**Rating: **M

**Disclaimer: **I don't own High School Musical or any of the charaters. I also don't own anything from Disney. Each chapter has a different 80s song title, so I don't own the songs either.

**A/N: **So this is my knew story. I know the idea of Gabriella and Troy being best friends is used a lot, but I'm taking my own spin on this. This is a warning now to everyone who was getting frustrated with my other stories on how I took things slow. I tired to rush things in Don't Stop the Feeling and it didn't come out the way I wanted it to. So I'm saying right now, I'm taking this one slow. And I'm also warning everyone, this isn't going to be as fluffy Troyella-y as my past ones, but please be patient. It's a lot heavier, so please try not to get frustrated. It's not like anything I've ever written before. So anyways, thank you so much for giving this a chance!

* * *

_Small water droplets were connecting onto the bare skin as they left the bright green blades of grass. The small bare feet hit the ground, one after the other after the other, as the grass tickles her dark olive skin. A giggle erupts from her mouth as her short, thin legs stride out as her bright yellow flowered dress opens up with each step she takes. Her head glances back, whipping her long almost black hair. Her deep dark chocolate brown eyes that seemed to be a little too far apart lock on the thing she was running from and suddenly, her legs pick up speed again. She takes a couple more strides before suddenly feeling a slap on her back. Her stomach flips as she turns around in disappointment. "Tag… you're it!"_

_The boy turns around and starts sprinting the other way. The girl narrows her eyes and crosses her arms across her chest and watches the retreating figure. "That's not fair!" She pouts as the boy stops and turns around. _

"_Is too!" The boy says while the girl continues to pout. She watches as he takes steps towards her, with his white shirt on and small black basketball shorts. His light chestnut hair that was short, stringy and parted down the center moves a little from the wind playing with it. The five year old continues to walk towards the girl and her dark eyes look up to meet his gorgeous, piercing blue ones that could cut through any object. "You're just mad I'm faster."_

"_Nuh uh!" The girl retorts while continuing to cross her arms. _

"_Uh huh!" The boy responds and stops in front of her. The girl narrows her eyes a little on the boy who was smiling at her. His teeth had a small gap between the two front ones, which the adults always said was the cutest thing they had ever seen. "So you lost!" He says while pointing his small hand towards the girl._

"_I didn't loose!" She exclaims while narrowing her eyes again. "I quit!"_

_The boy shakes his head. "You can't quit tag! It's against the rules!" He says while the girl scrunches up her nose._

"_You made that up!" She accuses._

"_I did not!" He responds when suddenly another noise comes into the small girl's ears._

"_If you two keep arguing, then I'm going to have to take Gabriella back." A woman with shoulder length hair the same color as the boy's says as she walks over to them. She had dark brown eyes as she stops in front of the two five year-olds and places a hand on her hip. _

"_Sorry Mom." The boy says as the woman walks back to her red and white blanket that was spread out on the grass. Other noise could be heard from the other people in the park, including children playing on the playground. But the two kids were off on their own in the grass. "You started it." He says while the girl pouts again._

"_Did not!" She exclaims but then watches as the woman glances over and gives the girl a dirty look._

"_Did too." The boy says quietly._

"_I wanna go by the swings." She says and starts to head over to where the other's kids' voices could be heard._

"_I don't… it's not as fun." He says while smiling at her._

"_What are we gonna do?" She asks while he had a mischievous look on his face._

"_Come on… I wanna go by the water." The boy says while grabbing the girl's hand. He drags her over to a small river that was running through the park with a fence of trees hiding it. Small twigs cut into her feet, but she does her best to hold back the tears that were in her eyes. He skillfully pulls the girl into the trees, with the girl trying her hardest to keep her hand held tight onto his._

"_I don't wanna go!" She says while he was still pulling her closer to where the river was rushing from the amount of rain that had fallen recently. He looks back at her and shakes his head._

"_Don't be a chicken." He says while finally pulling her through the trees so they were standing right next to the river. "Look… it's not scary!" The boy says while letting go of her hand and walking on the rocks towards the rushing water._

"_Troy!" The girl calls his name as she takes a step back. "You're gonna get hurt!"_

"_Will not!" He responds and takes another step closer. The boy turns back to the girl and smiles, showing the gap in his teeth again. "See Gabi! It's not scary!"_

_But the girl wasn't listening. All she could see was the imagination of herself being pulled into the water and falling into the depths, without ever being found again. "Come back!" She calls with small tears forming in her eyes as the boy looks back at her. He grabs a stick that was sitting on the same rock he was on and pokes the rushing water. "You're gonna be in trouble!" Her finger points towards him as he turns back to her and lets the water carry the stick away from him. _

_The boy turns around again and walks on the rocks back towards the girl. "You better not tattle." He says while stopping in front of her again. The boy was so filled with adventure while the girl was sometimes too afraid to take the step forward. But usually, the boy could always get her to do things, as long as he did it with her. "It's not scary… come on!" He says while grabbing her hand and tries to drag her towards the river._

_But the girl pulls her hand back. "We're gonna get in trouble!" She exclaims as the boy shakes his head and grabs her hand again._

"_No we won't." He says while pulling her to the water again. Her bare feet touch the smooth surface of the rock as they walk closer to the rushing river. All that was going through the girl's mind was the image of her falling in again. _

"_Troy! Take me back!" She exclaims._

"_Don't be a scaredy cat! I'll protect you." He says while still pulling her closer. He finally takes her to the edge of the rock and smiles at her. "See!"_

_The girl could feel the rush of water beneath her as her eyes peak over the rock to see the clear liquid swirling around. The boy looks at her with his piercing blue eyes full of excitement as he beams at her. But the girl couldn't help but feel a smile grow on her face as she looks into the reflection of both of them standing together. "It's so fast!" She says._

"_Don't fall in!" He mocks with a smile on his face as the girl's features suddenly become frightened. "I'm just kidding!"_

_But the tears already were welling up in her eyes as she looks at him, more scared then she had ever been in her life. "I'm scared!" She exclaims while squeezing his hand so tightly the tan skin almost turns snow white._

"_Come on." He says while the excitement filled eyes look at her and her pulls her back away from the rocks. The girl breathes easier as he looks at her with a smile again. "See? I told you I'd protect you."_

* * *

"Gabs! Come on wake up… we landed."

The voice enters two ears subtly. A pair of deep chocolate brown eyes shoot open as the owner suddenly springs up and accidentally hits her arm on the plastic window that was now shinning a dim light into her lap. "Shit!" She exclaims while rubbing her elbow and listening to the girl sitting next to her try to suppress giggles. "Shut up Tay!"

The deep chocolate brown eyes look up to see that the girl who was sitting next to her a moment ago was now standing. Her black hair fell just below her shoulders with a curl at the end of each strand and bangs that were swept off to the side. Her skin was as smooth as a baby's which was also a dark color. She had an amusing smile on her face as she looks down at her best friend. "Sorry… we've landed." Taylor McKessie informs the girl.

"So you say." The soon to be junior says while standing up fully. Her skin was the same dark olive color that it was when she was five years old, along with the dark almost black big curled hair and the deep chocolate brown eyes, although they had now grown into her face so they weren't too far apart anymore. Her extremely thin body works its way around the airplane seat while grabbing her bag in the process and looking at her best girl friend. "Home sweet home."

Gabriella Montez watches as Taylor follows the other passengers off the plane. She was suddenly more then excited to get out of the airplane and back onto solid land. The two girls walk off the plane together as they walk up the gate towards a single door that was now open into the airport. She feels relief as she breathes in fresh, non-recycled air again while looking around the ugly grey colored walls. "Come on, I wanna get out of here." She hears Taylor say as they leave the circular room and walk more towards the center of the airport. "I don't care how good that vacation was, it's so good to be home."

Gabriella nods in agreement as they begin to walk past where people were checking into security on the other side. Her eyes skip past that, not wanting to think about flying anymore, since they had just gotten done riding on a long flight from San Francisco to Huston, where they had an hour layover where they picked up the next flight to their hometown, Albuquerque, New Mexico. And it was all because they had decided to go to Taylor's aunt and uncle's for the last three weeks of summer vacation.

They walk into the huge area with shops and fast food places. But Gabriella's soft lips form a smile when she finally sees what she was looking for. Standing in the middle of the shops were four adults and two young boys. Two of the adults along with both young boys were the same dark color as Taylor and the other two, combined together showed off Gabriella's features. "There they are!" Gabriella exclaims as she runs towards the two adults who were beaming at her. "Mom, Dad!"

She first jumps up into the woman's arms who was at least two inches shorter then Gabriella's 5'4'' herself, but she had the exact same hair color as her. "Oh sweetie!" She says while Gabriella could feel her body being squeezed by her mother, Maria Montez. "We're so glad you're home!"

Her mother finally lets go of her and Gabriella turns to the man that was standing next to her. He had short, jet black hair and a small mustache that played on his upper lip. He was tall, with deep chocolate brown eyes that were identical to his daughter's. He smiles and holds his arms out while Gabriella jumps into them. "Daddy!"

"Hey sweetheart!" Jose Montez says while pulling her to him and kissing the top of her head. To say that Gabriella and her father were close was an understatement. "How was it?"

"Amazing!" She responds and sneaks a glance towards Taylor who was beaming also. "It was so much fun."

"Good." Her father responds and he then looks at the McKessies. "Let's head down to baggage claim." He says while putting an arm around his only daughter. She was close to both parents, but it was something about her father that made them so much alike. They both were headstrong, and when you got in their way, you might have wanted to look out. But they also had a heart of gold, that couldn't be replaced for anything.

They all walk down to the baggage claim, Taylor and Gabriella telling their parents the amazing things they did at her aunt's house, who lived on a lake, while Taylor's younger brothers were playing tag against Mrs. McKessie wishes. After getting their suitcases, they walk out of the airport, while Gabriella feels the hot setting summer sun beat down onto her body. It was a good thing she was wearing a pair of white booty shorts and a long black boy's beater with a grey zip up hoodie over it. They get to the two cars and Mr. Montez turns to the other parents. "Since it might be squished, we'll drop Taylor off." He says with a smile on his face. Gabriella looks at Taylor. What? There was enough room for her in her parent's car.

"Um… dad there's room." She says but turns to Taylor.

Mr. Montez shrugs. "Oh well, come on Taylor." He says while the two girls look at each other and shrug. They hop into the car and the two adults wave to the McKessies who were driving off.

"I'm so glad you girls are home." Mrs. Montez says in the front seat. She was an insurance agent while Gabriella's father was an extremely respected lawyer, who had a reputation for never loosing.

"We are too." Taylor responds and turns to Gabriella.

"So… I say ten minutes before Chad calls." Gabriella says while Taylor tilts her head to the side, as if thinking for a moment before shaking her head.

"I'll give it five." Chad Danforth was Taylor's boyfriend of one year. He was also extremely close with Gabriella, but in the big brother sort of way. Chad was famous for being overly obsessed with basketball, since he played on the East High varsity team, and also for his huge untamable afro.

Gabriella smiles a little as she glances out the window to familiar spots in town. They drive past the movie theater, the ice cream shop, the mall, and then they finally start to make their way into the neighborhoods. She could hear her mother and father talking to Taylor about her Aunt and Uncle, but Gabriella had other things on her mind. She couldn't wait to see her friends again, and especially one person who she couldn't stop thinking about.

They suddenly pull up to a large house that was the Montez's. Gabriella looks at Taylor curiously who also narrows her eyes in suspicion. What was going on? "Uh… Dad?" Gabriella says while watching as her father turns off the car and opens up his door.

"I forgot my wallet. And we're gonna need gas." He says while getting out with her mother smiling also. But Gabriella's eyes travel to the side of the road, where a block away, she could see a familiar red car parked. Realization dawns on her face as she turns to her best friend and smiles. She nods to the car as both girls get out and Taylor suddenly nods in understanding.

"Let's just get your stuff out Ella." Mrs. Montez says while Gabriella and Taylor were giggling, finally knowing why her parents were acting so strange. Mr. Montez grabs one of her suit cases while her mother grabs the smaller of the two. "You girls can go inside. We'll meet you there."

Gabriella and Taylor look at each other smiling again as they walk up to the door and Gabriella pulls out her set of keys. "I bet it was Chad's idea." Taylor says while Gabriella shakes her head.

"You think Chad would plan a surprise party? Nah, it had to be Sharpay." Gabriella responds as she opens the door to the house to reveal a hallway leading to the kitchen.

The lights were off as it was close to dusk now so it made the house dark. Instead of walking down the hallway, she turns right immediately and walks into a familiar part of the house. Gabriella feels her way on the family room wall until she finally feels the light switch. She turns the on light, to suddenly find herself face to face with a gigantic banner that stretched across her fireplace as a smile breaks onto her face. Suddenly, six people jump out from the furniture as they all yell, "WELCOME HOME!"

Gabriella giggles as she turns to see that Taylor was laughing as well. "Next time you throw a welcome home party, make sure you park at least two blocks away." Taylor says while looking at the dark boy whose face falls. "We saw Chad's car."

Chad, whose hair had not changed, nor his face in the past three weeks they had been gone sighs as he takes a step forward towards his girlfriend. "Damn it!" He exclaims as Gabriella giggles while he wraps his arms around Taylor and gives her a light kiss on the lips. "Welcome back." He mumbles and Gabriella smiles at the two while he glances over and his almost black eyes lock on hers. "Gabs!"

A grin breaks out onto Gabriella's face as Chad lets go of Taylor and runs to Gabriella. She wraps her arms around him and he gives a tight squeeze while then letting go. "Hey!"

"Welcome back!" He says while smiling at her. "I missed ya!"

Gabriella smiles and hits his chest playfully. "Too bad, cuz I didn't miss you."

They laugh as Gabriella then suddenly feels two arms pull her into a tight squeeze. Her mouth was suddenly engulfed with a wad of blonde hair as the girl in front of her bounces up and down. "You're back!" She says in a high voice as she finally lets go of her and beams at her with her brown eyes. She had long blonde hair and was several inches taller than Gabriella was, but it also didn't help that she was wearing huge pink heels.

"Hey Sharpay." She says to one of her other best friends. Sharpay Evans was an extremely high maintenance girl whose parents owned a huge country club, which made them extremely rich. She could be obnoxious and snooty sometimes, but they were one of the things that made Gabriella love her. You also never wanted to get on Sharpay's bad side, or life would be a living hell.

Then there was the dark, but extremely tall boy that was walking up behind Sharpay. "Hey Gabriella!" He says while Sharpay runs over to Taylor. Zeke Baylor was also on the basketball team with Chad, but was more famous for his amazing bright white smile and his ability to bake anything and make it taste like heaven itself. He was dating Sharpay for about five months now, and most people would say that he was more then whipped.

"Hey Zeke." She says while giving him a quick hug. She then turns to the other two that were standing off two the side. "Hey Kels! What's up Jason?"

Kelsi Neilson was a girl who just reached five feet in height, but had a heart bigger than anyone else Gabriella had ever known. She had short, curly brown hair with glasses. She and Gabriella had just recently became friends during last winter, when Gabriella came in for choir practice and Kelsi was playing the piano better then anyone else she had ever heard. Gabriella, on the other hand, had an incredible voice and loved to sing whenever she had the chance to.

"It's so good to have you back!" Kelsi says while hugging her and Gabriella looks over her shoulder to see Jason Cross, another basketball player with black shaggy hair and was also dating Kelsi, as of a month ago.

"Hey Gabs." Jason says when his girlfriend lets go and gives her a quick hug. She smiles at the two as they walk over to where Sharpay, Zeke, Chad, and Taylor were. But Gabriella's body suddenly freezes as she hears someone clear their throat on the other side of the room.

Her heart suddenly stops beating as her deep chocolate brown eyes look up and meet a pair of indescribable drowning piercing blue ones. He had two hands on a table behind him as he was leaning up against it, while jutting his lower body out. His hair was the same light chestnut color it was when he was five years-old, although it wasn't parted in the middle anymore and fell right above his eyes, no longer stringy. He also came along with the same tan skin that seemed to glow through out the room. His mouth curves into a perfect smile while his bright white teeth show, revealing the gap that had been there closed up with two years of braces that were now off. Gabriella couldn't feel her body as he pushes up off the table and opens his arms to her. This was what she was waiting for during the three weeks she was gone. Nothing else, just this. "What? Are you just gonna stand there?"

A smile breaks out onto her face as she runs across the family room and feels sparks fly through her body as she jumps up into her best friend's arms. "Troy." The feeling of finally being home floods her body as he picks her up and spins her around in a circle. She clings onto his neck, never wanting to let him go as he sets her down gently. She could smell the warm, musky scent of his cologne that she missed so much from the three weeks that it was gone.

"I missed you." He says into her ear as she continues to cling onto him like she would die if she didn't. Another smile floods onto her face as he gently brings her around and looks down at her.

"I missed you too." She responds and feels a pang of disappointment as his hands drop from around her waist. But he reaches up and grabs her arms that were around his neck and pulls them down with Gabriella's arms burning at the impact point. "You have no idea."

Troy Bolton was everything any girl would want. If his appearance wasn't enough, he was smart, extremely smart actually but never liked showing it. He also loved people, loved being around people, and if Troy Bolton showed up to one of your parties, it was an immediate success. Everyone knew he was the most popular guy in school. Even the seniors this year wanted to be his best friend. Did anyone mention he was captain of the East High varsity basketball team? Well, he is. Which made perfect sense, because he was an incredible player. But Gabriella knew so much more about him then anyone else, since they were best friends since they met when they were three and went to the same daycare together. Troy Bolton was flawless. But there was only one problem…

Best friends weren't supposed to fall for each other, which was exactly what happened to Gabriella.

"So how was it?" Troy asks while dropping her arms and leaning up against the table again in a sexy way that Gabriella was pretty sure he didn't even know was sexy. That was the other thing about Troy. He did things in such ways that made him so irresistible, yet he didn't even know he did them.

Gabriella smiles up at him confidently. "It was amazing." She says.

Troy looks down at her and pretends to look sad. "So… it was that good not seeing me?" He says while nudging his hip against hers.

Gabriella shrugs while staring up at him. "Believe what you want." Troy looks at her like he's offended. But he quickly recovers and she watches as his eyes scan her body up and down. If it was anyone else, she probably would have flushed at the fact that a guy was checking her out, but he had a different look on his face. She tries her best not to roll her eyes. "Don't worry, Troy… San Francisco didn't do anything to me."

Troy looks at her skeptically for a moment before sighing and smiling a little at her. "That's good to hear." He responds and she shrugs at him.

"Thanks." She says while glancing back at where the rest of their friends were standing. "I think." She says as she starts to walk towards the rest of her friends when she suddenly feels a presence next to her as she feels an arm wrap around her shoulder. She smiles at the gesture, but this was nothing new. Troy always maintained body contact with her, even when they were little kids. It just felt natural for them to do it, so now their closest friends really never thought anything of it. "So who's bright idea was this?" Gabriella asks while she tries her best not to shiver at the fact that Troy's arm was still around her.

"Who do you think?" Zeke asks while looking down at his girlfriend.

"We were gonna throw a bigger one, but we figured that you guys wouldn't want to be around fifty million people. You couldn't come home and not have a party." Sharpay says to the two of them while Troy finally takes his arm off her, to Gabriella's dismay. "Especially since tomorrow's the last day of summer."

The teenagers all look at each other with depressed faces at the thought. Their junior year started on Wednesday. It was depressing to think about, since no one wanted to go back into their regular routines. But it had to start; it was just a way of life. "Let's not getting depressed about it now," Troy says while looking down at Gabriella and giving her a small wink. She couldn't help but feel her heart soar a little at the gesture, even if it was just because they were best friends. "We have a full thirty-six hours of summer left." He says, even though Gabriella was pretty sure it was less then that, but she didn't want to tell him that and sound stupid. "I wanna make the most of it."

Gabriella looks up at Troy's piercing blue eyes again and tries her hardest not to fall to her knees right there. She sighs as she watches a smile form on her face as he wraps another friendly arm around her and Gabriella does her best not to snuggle further into his grasp. Another sigh erupts from her throat as she thinks about how desperately she wanted to be with him. She was tired of being friends, she wanted more… so much more. No, she was praying for more.

It was the beginning of a long year.


	2. Don't You Want Me?

Troy was mesmerized by the way she walked. The way her hips swayed back and forth, while her large brown curls bounced as they hung low beneath her shoulders. Something about the way she smiled made Troy want to place his lips onto hers. His eyes couldn't leave her body as the girl walks by the locker he was leaning up against. Her chocolate brown eyes, which were looking at the ground, suddenly look up and make contact with his. He feels his perfect bright white smile grow onto his face as she flashes him a quick closed mouth smile, before turning her head back to the blonde she was walking with and passes by the locker without a word.

"Dude… dude… Troy, man wake up!" He feels a slap on his bicep and Troy shakes his head out of his trance, looking away from the small figure that was walking the other way. He looks to see that his best friend guy friend was still standing by his locker. "Who the hell were you looking at anyways?" Chad asks while looking down the hallway that Troy was staring at a minute ago.

"Uh… no one." He lies and turns around to spin the combination on his locker. He opens it to find things were actually put into order at that moment, unlike the normal school year when his locker would become completely trashed. He would bet a week and it would be back to normal, and defiantly not organized.

The first day had finally come, much to Troy's dismay. He sighs while running a hand through his light chestnut brown hair, begging with a higher power that he could be anywhere but there. Of course, his prayer wasn't answered since he had to go back to school. It was a cruel and unusual punishment, but it had to be done.

Chad rolls his eyes while leaning up against the locker next to Troy's. "It was her wasn't it?" His best guy friend since preschool asks as Troy shoots him an innocent look.

"Who?" He asks, trying to play dumb, but he knew exactly who Chad was talking about. But he never had to answer since suddenly, two people pop up beside the boys. A smile immediately erupts on Troy's face as he doesn't even notice the dark girl wrap her arms around Chad and kiss him soundlessly. His eyes were now fixed on the girl standing in front of him; looking more incredible then he had last seen her.

She was wearing a navy blue thick strapped tank top with that fell low on her thin frame but didn't reveal too much cleavage. It was loose, and Troy knew that the girl would wear nothing but loose clothing, but this was a nice change for her to dress up. He was so used to seeing her in t-shirts, sweats, anything like that. But she was also wearing a jean skirt with white flip flops. Her long, not quite black hair was down and for once straight, but her bangs were pulled back with a teased bump. On her left wrist was a small pink rubber band that he knew she couldn't live with out. Troy knew she looked hot, he had always known she was hot, that was defiantly for sure. "Hey Gab." He says casually while not moving from the spot on his locker. "You look hot."

Gabriella gives him a huge smile. It wasn't uncommon for Troy to make compliments to her like this. Could you call it flirting? Probably. Actually, to be honest, Troy flirted with Gabriella a lot. It just came natural to him. He didn't have to think about anything before it came out, since they were best friends. One of his ex-girlfriends had even complained to him because she felt, 'he was more focused on hitting on Gabriella then her'. But that relationship ended about five minutes later. It was almost an unwritten rule. If you didn't like one of them, then you couldn't date the other. It was just how everything turned out. "Thanks. You look great too."

Troy flashes his million dollar smile at her and looks down at his own clothes, which consisted of a white pinstriped button up shirt that he had to top two buttons unbuttoned, revealing a light blue shirt underneath and a pair of jeans that were ripped at the knee. This was uncommon for Troy to wear as well, since he was usually just dressed in a t-shirt, long sleeve, sweatshirt or track jacket. But there was something about the first day of school that made everyone dress up, since Chad was also wearing a polo, which he would normally not wear.

"Can you please tell me this isn't happening?" Troy complains while Gabriella giggles a little.

"Sorry Troy… it's happening. What's your schedule look like?" She asks, reminding Troy that he picked up his schedule this morning. He pulls it out of his pocket and unfolds it, while handing it to his best friend to see that hers was lying perfectly flat on a binder she was holding.

"Please tell me I have something with you." He begs and Gabriella's finger goes down the list of classes.

"Um… homeroom. Damn Darbus again…" She says while Troy smiles a little at how cute she looked when she was concentrating. "Uh…physics… English…lunch… calc… study hall…and…" She scans the sheet while then handing it back to him. "That's it."

He sighs with relief while taking the sheet back, brushing their hands together in the process. "Only like three?" He says with a sigh. "At least I won't be that deprived of you."

Troy suddenly sees a blonde bouncing towards them with Zeke on her hand and Jason and Kelsi at her side. She walks over beaming, while letting go of Zeke's hand and grabs Gabriella's shoulder's from behind, giving her a small squeeze. "See? I told you last night your clothes look fabulous. You're welcome."

Troy grins as Gabriella rolls her eyes and turns back to Sharpay. "Thanks Shar." She says somewhat quietly, and Troy's eyes lock on hers. He suddenly remembers that all four girls had gotten together yesterday at Gabriella's, while the guys went over to Troy's to play two on two one last time before the summer ended.

The bell suddenly rings and Troy hears himself groan while shoving his head into the open locker. "Don't make me go!" He says into it, hearing the echo while then feeling a small, somewhat calloused hand on his arm while he brings his head around to see Gabriella giggling at him. His eyes look over to see that other girls, both older and younger, who were passing by were blushing and giggling as they walked by him. Even though Troy knew practically every girl wanted to be with him, he really didn't use it to his advantage that much. Sure, he had girlfriends here and there, but nothing incredibly serious. He'd have random sex once and awhile, but as said before, it was nothing incredibly serious.

"Come on Troy." She says and smiles at him. "You know Darbus will flip a shit if we're late." She says while Troy sighs angrily and grabs the four folders he needed for the first part of the day, even though he would probably stop at his locker before lunch, and puts them into his red small gym bag. He then shuts the locker door while turning to Gabriella, who was adjusting the straps on her black American Eagle bag and looks towards the gang who was all staring at him.

"Let's roll." He says while nodding in the direction towards the drama teacher's room. It seemed that the entire gang was in Ms. Darbus' homeroom, which would probably make life so much easier for them this year. Guys who were walking in the other direction all nod, give him a high five, or just yell 'Hey Bolton!' as they walk. All Troy could do was smile and absorb this attention, but it was nothing he wasn't used to already.

"So… have you shown them yet?" Troy hears Sharpay say, who was walking next to Gabriella. The petite girl's eyes suddenly pop out of her head as she glances at Taylor desperately. He looks at her curiously.

"Shown us what?" Troy asks, more looking at Gabriella though then Sharpay.

"Well…" Taylor answers for her, while looking at Gabriella who seemed to have thankful eyes. "We kind of did something when we were in San Francisco."

The eight of them turn into a room that was all too familiar to Troy. There were red curtains hanging from two large windows, shedding light into the room. About twenty-five desks were facing the front of the room, which had a platform on it and a big navy blue curtain behind it. There was a small clock sitting on top of the curtain that always seemed to tease Troy in his previous years here. It was the drama room, aka, Darbus' hell. This would be Troy's third year with Ms. Darbus as a homeroom teacher, and he was looking forward to anything but that. "So what'd you do?" Troy asks while turning to Gabriella. Sharpay grabs the seating chart that was sitting on the first desk in front.

"Damn, why am I always put in the corner?" Sharpay asks while strutting over to the far corner in the back of the room and setting down her bright pink sparkling purse, and then she walks back to where the rest of the gang was looking at the seating chart.

Troy scans the boxes to find that he was in the first row, right under Darbus' nose. "Fuck." He mumbles while looking to see that Chad was right behind him, with Gabriella sitting in the row next to his, but the last seat. There was also an empty seat to his immediate right. He sets down his bag and watches as the ungodly thin girl walks to the back of the room and sets down her American Eagle bag. She and Taylor both return back to them and he raises his eyebrows again. "Well?"

Gabriella's small body tenses up as she glances at Taylor. The dark girl looks at Troy desperately, as if trying to tell him something with her eyes. "Well… I got a tattoo." She says while lifting up the back of her red babydoll shirt to reveal a tramp stamp. Troy's eyes grow wide as he looks at Chad who was smirking.

"She showed me two nights ago." He says and Troy suddenly figures that she showed him when Chad was probably saying, 'welcome back' in his own special way. "So… did you get one too?" Chad asks Gabriella who turns white and shakes her head.

"Um… no." She says while looking down and Sharpay rolls her eyes.

"Just show them." She says while Taylor looks up at her dangerously. "It's not anything bad."

Troy looks at Gabriella curiously who just tries to shrug the idea off. "It's not a big deal, Tay's is a bigger deal."

The warning bell rings and Troy grabs her upper arm and smiles at her. "What? Did you get you vagina pierced or something?" He says while wiggling his eyebrows. "Cuz then I think I'd need to confirm."

Gabriella rolls her eyes and removes her arm from his grasp. "You wis…"

But Troy doesn't hear what she says after that. He was faced towards the door, with Gabriella standing in front of him. His eyes leave her deep chocolate brown as they suddenly grow wide with excitement. Standing at the door was the girl he couldn't stop thinking about for a three weeks. She says something to the same blond girl that she was with earlier and then waves as the girl walks out of the room. Troy's stomach does about forty back flips as she walks into the room, almost glowing in holiness.

She was a perfect 5'4'', the same height as Gabriella. Her eyes were chocolate, not quite as dark as Gabriella's, but still beautiful just the same. The long, dark brown wavy hair came to about and inch higher than her elbows and was curled in large curls. She had a sweet, small nose and a light pink lip gloss on that made her lips so kissable. Her stomach was completely flat, although Troy would be the first to say that he was never concerned about weight, but she had the faintest curves in her hips and breasts, sort of like the way Gabriella's were although Gabriella's were slightly more noticeable, though it almost made Gabriella look better. Her skin was light compared to Gabriella's dark olive, but it still glowed. If you could compare her to a celebrity, she could defiantly pull off as a high school version of Rachel Bilson. She was wearing dark skinny jeans with black ballet flats, along with a bright pink tight fitting knit with a V neck line, revealing the perfect amount of cleavage for Troy's liking.

The bell suddenly rings, pulling Troy out of his trance. He shakes his head to see that the gang was all making its way to their seats. But Troy couldn't take his eyes off the girl who was now standing up, looking innocently lost.

"Welcome back young thespians!" A voice fills the air as Troy looks towards the door to find that a woman was standing there in a satin cloth and black pants. Yep, he was defiantly back in Ms. Darbus' classroom. Darbus was known for her insane attitude and her obsession with the arts. Basically, she didn't like you if you weren't in drama or choir. That meant, she hated Troy. It also didn't help that his father was the head coach of the East High Wildcats basketball team, along with a popular gym teacher, and the two teachers hated each other. Jack Bolton was headstrong for sports, while Darbus was obsessed with the arts. It was not a good match. "I trust all of you have found your seats." She says, completely oblivious to the gorgeous girl standing off to the side with a sweet look on her face.

"Um…" The figure speaks in her sweet, small voice as Ms. Darbus finally looks at her. "I just transferred here…" She says shyly while looking down at Troy and giving him a small smile. He beams a goofy grin back, but then mentally kicks himself for looking so dumb.

"Right…" Darbus says, a little pissed off that the girl interrupted her. "Ms. Walker?" She asks while pointing to a clipboard. The girl nods and Ms. Darbus scans the class. "Take a seat there. Next to Mr. Bolton and Ms. Neilson."

Troy's heart jumps five feet. The girl smiles at Troy as she walks over to where the empty seat was and gently sits down. Troy beams her his million dollar smile as he leans over, feeling bold. "Hey again."

The girl smiles innocently. "Hey Troy." She responds and Troy continues to beam at her while she turns her attention back to the front of the room. He couldn't take his eyes off her. It was physically impossible. She was just so gorgeous it was unbelievable. He didn't notice the high maintenance girl narrow her eyes on them while right before she shoots her boyfriend a glance that he understood. He didn't notice the short girl with glasses look towards a dark girl, wondering if she knew what was going on. He didn't notice the dark girl glance towards her boyfriend a couple seats in front of her. He didn't notice his best guy friend return it as a worried look strikes his face, almost telling her he would tell her later. But what he defiantly didn't notice, is that all of them turn around to look at the petite girl in the back of the room, who had horror stricken across all of her features as she stared at the two in the front row, her heart breaking further with every look Troy and the girl stole from each other.

* * *

"Who the fuck is she?!" Her voice demands, trying to grow louder, but she did her best to hold it back. She could feel her small calloused hands form into little fists as she stares down the boy with the huge afro that was sitting next to her, staring forward trying to avoid her gaze, but she knew it was unsuccessful. "Well?" She says impatiently as Chad finally glances at her and sighs.

They were in Economics, the only two from their gang that were in that class. Gabriella had a couple friends who she sometimes hung out with in there, and Chad had a couple of basketball friends, but other then that it was just them. Somehow, they managed to get in the back of the room, sitting next to each other. This was her first class after homeroom, and Gabriella could not calm down from what she saw this morning.

"Her name's Olivia Walker." Chad says while staring at the tall, bald, and male teacher going over the syllabus of the year with the class, but Gabriella wasn't listening. All she could focus on was that girl. "She's a transfer and cousins with Julia Tyson, where she's staying at."

Gabriella suddenly gets an image of the blonde, senior captain of the cheerleading team. But she shakes her head and looks back at Chad. "How does he know her?"

Chad sighs while setting his pencil down and gives up trying to pay attention to the bald guy standing in the front of the room. He turns to Gabriella and takes in a deep breath. "All of us went to a party the weekend after you guys left. Julia and her boyfriend showed up, along with Olivia. Troy was wasted, but they met before he was drinking. I guess they hit it off, since the weekend after that, we went to another party and she was there. They acted like they had known each other for years. And then the next day they hung out." He explains while Gabriella's eyes drop to the floor.

"Why didn't he tell me?" She says in a small voice as Chad shrugs. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Her eyes look back up to Chad's black ones as he sighs again. "We didn't want to hurt you. And we all thought he would tell you."

"And that turned out the way you planned didn't it?" Gabriella says with sarcasm laced with her voice. How could he not tell her? They were best friends for God's sake! They told each other everything. Why didn't he tell her this?

Everyone in their gang knew Gabriella liked Troy, except, well Troy. It was obvious to them, and she never denied it when they would talk to her about it. She also knew that everyone was rooting for them to get together. They had been even before Gabriella fell for him. They just seemed perfect for each other. Well, obviously Troy didn't think so. "She's actually really nice." He says while Gabriella shoots him a deadly look.

"Yeah that makes me feel so much better." She says with sarcasm laced with her voice again. Her stomach turns upside down at the thought of Troy hanging out with another girl with jealousy. Her eyes look forward as she grabs the rubber band on her hand and begins to snap it. It was her way out during stressful situations that her therapist taught her. Chad grabs her arm that was getting the blows and she immediately stops and looks at him.

"Don't think that way ok? It's not worth it." He says with concern in his warm eyes. She sighs but continues to snap as he lets go of her arm. "He's gonna come around one of these days. I promise."

Gabriella's jaw clenches a little. "You always say that. And he never does."

Chad sighs again and looks at her. "They're not dating." He tries to soften the situation but Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"You saw the way he looked at her." She says angrily while stretching the rubber band further up. "Have you ever seen him look at me that way? Nope. Never." She says while stretching it further up. Chad rolls his eyes.

"Yeah I have." He says. "He does it a lot." He responds and Gabriella shakes her head.

"Funny." She says sarcastically again and stares down at her wrist that was starting to get a red mark. "She's gorgeous. Glowing hair, perfect smile, twenty times thinner then me…"

With that Chad finally puts his hand on her wrist to stop the blows. He stares at her with determination in his eyes while holding the rubber band down. "Don't you dare think like that." He says in a serious tone that usually didn't come out. Chad was such a happy and adventurous guy, but when he turned serious, you listened. Because it was usually important. "You hear me? If I hear you're thinking that way again…"

"Sorry." Gabriella mumbles while looking down at their connected touch.

He finally lets go of her and Gabriella could see the red mark was clearly visible now. She looks over to Chad again as he tries to give her a warm smile. "He missed you. Like hell."

Gabriella gives him an extremely weak smile and looks down at the ground. "He was obviously too busy." She mumbles but Chad shakes his head.

"He had a countdown. It was really annoying." Chad says while facing forward again. Gabriella sighs and follows his lead, finally looking at the teacher for the first time all hour.

After what seemed like forever, the bell finally rings and Gabriella stands up, grabbing her bag and turning to Chad who for some reason managed to smuggle his basketball into the Econ class. A couple of the guys who were in there turn around and smirk at Gabriella. She smiles brightly back, knowing that it was all just for fun. With East High's golden boy being her best friend and the fact that she was gorgeous, whether she thought so or not, gave her instant popularity. The guys wanted her; there was no denying that, not only for quick hook ups but also for relationships. Not that she could be labeled a slut at all. In fact, she had only slept with one guy in her life, but that was during the summer and a completely different story.

"I really hate school." Chad says as the two walk out of the classroom and down towards the junior hallway. Gabriella giggles a little until they turn the corner and walk into their own hallway.

"Join the club." She says while two guys wink at her. Gabriella smiles back until they make it towards the center of the hallway, where her locker stood because of her last name.

"Physics, sucks." She hears a voice come from behind her and she turns to see that Taylor was there, giving Chad a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing her own locker that was four down from Gabriella since their last names were so close together.

Gabriella sighs as she opens her locker to reveal a locker with pictures hung up inside of her friends. "That's where I'm headed next." She says while taking her Econ folder out of her bag. "I thought you liked science."

Taylor shrugs. Both she and Gabriella were extremely smart. They were in all honors/AP classes, along with Troy, but he pretended that he didn't like school, when in fact Gabriella knew deep down that he did. "I do… but I hate Kahale." She says, referring to the physics teacher who had a reputation of being a hardass.

Gabriella closes her locker but suddenly feels two arms wrap around her waist in a hug. At first, she smiles at the familiar touch, but then turns around to meet a pair of bright blue eyes. Her smile falls a little when she remembers the look he gave Olivia this morning, compared to the look he was giving her now. It was night and day difference in her eyes, even though Chad was nudging Taylor and had his own triumphant smile on his face, since he thought the look Troy was giving Gabriella was far better then the one he gave Olivia. But that was how distorted Gabriella's mind was.

"Come on, I don't wanna be late." He says as though his exasperated and Gabriella smiles at him.

"We'll catch you guys later." Gabriella says to Chad and Taylor while the two start walking in the direction of the science hallway. Troy places a friendly arm around Gabriella while they walk down with the younger classes giving them weird looks, while the upperclassmen were staring at them as if saying 'Why don't you two just go out already?'

That was the same question that was running through Gabriella's mind.


	3. Private Eyes

Gabriella sits down at the lunch table slowly. Her eyes were glued on the cafeteria door as if trying to make them open up just by staring. She sighs as the noise of the huge room was filling her ears, with people talking and laughing and probably arguing. At her own table, Sharpay and Zeke were sitting there flirting with each other, while Jason and Kelsi were talking with Gabriella and Taylor. There were three empty seats at the table, which people around them were eying to see if they could snag a spot at, but then realized their golden boy along with his best guy friend weren't there yet, so they didn't bother to make a move.

Lunch had just started on the second day of school. The day was so much more relaxed then the day before, which Gabriella was thankful for. She had gone back to wearing a black loose cami with a gray short sleeved zip up sweatshirt and jeans. She felt so much better just by wearing that instead of what Sharpay picked out for her yesterday. It was almost as though just her clothes made her in a slightly better mood. "She's in my calc class." Gabriella hears Kelsi say, ripping her eyes away from the door for a moment since it didn't seem like Troy had gotten out of his class yet. They had all just sat down and she was pretty sure he was coming from gym, so it could take a little longer.

"Who?" Sharpay asks finally ripping her eyes off of Zeke to look at the small girl.

"Olivia." Gabriella does her best not to narrow her eyes at the name. She hadn't met her yet, since yesterday it seemed that she was sitting with Julia at lunch, even though she saw Troy sneak glances at her the whole time. It made her sick. She was also in choir with Gabriella, which was right after lunch, but was positive that the girl had no idea who she was. Why would she?

"She's in my English class with Zeke." Taylor says while nodding at the dark boy who was just starting to open his lunch now. "I met her then. She seems nice." Gabriella shoots her an evil look. Taylor rolls her eyes. "What? She is! And you haven't even met her yet."

Gabriella rolls her eyes and grabs the rubber band on her wrist and begins snapping. "Thanks Tay, I'm so glad you're supportive of this."

It was Sharpay's turn to roll her eyes. "Come on Gabs. You know how Troy is. He'll be over her in like… three days."

Everyone at the table knew that wasn't true, and Gabriella knew that they were just trying to be nice. But suddenly, her eyes look up to see that the cafeteria doors had just opened. Her breath becomes caught in her throat as she looks to see the Wildcat's golden boy was smirking as he walks into the cafeteria. He looked incredible in his orange shirt and jeans. But her smile suddenly drops as she sees the thin, beautiful girl walk up next to him with Chad on his other side. The lunch table suddenly all looks at Gabriella to see that her expression was hurt, but they had no idea how much it was killing her staring at them.

His piercing blue eyes lock on hers and she suddenly feels her heart break even further. His smile grows huge, but Gabriella had to look away. The three of them walk over and Chad takes a seat next to Taylor who was sitting next to Gabriella, while Troy sits down on his other side and Olivia stands, looking a little awkward. "Hey guys." Troy says in his perfect voice that Gabriella loved. "Liv is gonna sit with us."

Liv? LIV? He had a nickname for her already? Gabriella feels her hands clench the bottom of her seat, feeling her knuckles turn white. How could he have a nickname for her already? But she tries to take deep breaths to calm herself down. "Hey Olivia." Zeke says, his friendly side showing through. She sits down with a sweet smile.

"Hi." She says somewhat shyly as Gabriella tries not to roll her eyes. This girl sounded way too sweet for her liking. Why couldn't Troy have picked a bitch to fall for, so then Gabriella could have reasons to hate her?

Troy's eyes lock on Gabriella for a moment. She feels the familiar turning sensation in her stomach as he grins slightly at her. "Uh… have you two met?" Troy asks while Olivia's chocolate brown eyes meet Gabriella's deep ones. She watches as another sweet smile plays on her perfect lips as Gabriella looks her up and down. She was gorgeous, so much thinner than Gabriella herself was which made her stomach flip in anger. "Gab, this is Olivia Walker. We met at a party while you were gone." He says as her smile grows brighter. Gabriella tries to force a smile on her lips. "Liv, this is my best friend, Gabriella Montez."

It seemed the entire lunch table was silent and intent on watching how the scene played out before them. Gabriella could feel all eyes were on her, especially the pair of piercing blue that she loved so much. "It's nice to meet you." Gabriella says in a quiet voice, while watching as Troy's smile grows brighter at her acceptance of the girl.

Olivia's smile grows brightly. "And it's amazing to finally meet you. I've heard so much."

Gabriella's eyebrows rise as she glances at her best friend. "Really?" She asks, feeling the butterflies in her stomach calm a little at the sound that Troy had talked about her while she was gone.

"Yeah… Troy says you guys are really close." She says and Gabriella's smile falls a little. That sounded like what someone would say in a movie when their girlfriend was being introduced to another friend.

"They are." Sharpay chimes in and Gabriella's head whips around to look at her, grinning slightly. "Closer than close." She says and Gabriella hears Taylor giggle beside her. She always knew she liked Sharpay for something. "They're all each other has."

Troy rolls his eyes. "Thanks for the commentary Shar."

"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is." She says while smiling at Olivia. Gabriella was thankful that it seemed Sharpay agreed with her that Troy shouldn't be with her. She knew that the rest of the gang wanted them together as well, but Sharpay was just more vocal about it.

"So, what's Salt Lake City like?" He asks while opening up the brown lunch bag that was sitting in front of him and takes out a sandwich. So Olivia was from Utah. It was now Gabriella least favorite state.

"It's nice… I hear the weather's nicer here though. But skiing is always fun in the winter." She says with her sweet smile that Gabriella really wanted to shove right back up her ass.

The gang starts eating and talking while Gabriella glances disgustingly at her own ugly brown bag. Her stomach was knotting up, telling her that it didn't want anything to eat, and if she did, she would just add to her flaws as it would sit in her stomach, growing stick fat on her body. Her hand reaches down and begins to reflexively snap her wrist, pulling herself out of this trance. The deep brown eyes look up to see that Olivia was laughing at something Troy had just said, along with the rest of the gang. She could see the brunette's perfectly formed face, and how gorgeous she was. No wonder Troy liked her.

"Gabs… come on. Eat something." She hears a low voice enter her ear as Taylor nudges her back.

"I know I know." Gabriella shakes her head as she finally opens her brown bag, looking at the food disgustingly before taking a bite of her apple. Her throat closes up, almost forcing her not to swallow, but she does reluctantly. Her eyes look up to see that a pair of drowning blue was staring at her. She sighs as they seem to be talking with each other's eyes. He was staring at her with understanding, but with almost a look that seemed to bring her confidence back that she could do this. Gabriella takes another bite of the apple while his lips form a smile, which gets her though eating the rest of her apple and sandwich, along with a small bag of carrots.

Another victory over her mind down. That was worth celebrating until the next time she had to eat in the war that was always going on inside her.

* * *

Troy could feel sweat run down the sides of his face and bare chest as he lifts one foot up after the other. His mind couldn't seem to get away from the thoughts of the brunette. She was so amazing, incredible to him. Even though they had only known each other for three weeks, he seemed to connect with her so well. And she was so beautiful. Her hair, her eyes, everything about her. He couldn't help but just want to run his hands all over her.

The overcast light felt good instead of the usually blazing Albuquerque sun while he was running. So much was on his mind and it was only the end of the second day of school. And most of it had to do with Olivia. He couldn't even describe how much he liked being around her. Rumors were already flying around school about how the new girl was already stealing away the golden boy's heart, but what he wasn't aware of were the whispers behind his back about how the new girl was actually stealing away the golden boy's heart from his best friend.

His feet suddenly turn him down a street that was so familiar to him; he didn't even realize he had turned down it. His eyes reflexively count five from the end when he suddenly finds himself staring at a white, somewhat large house. His feet suddenly stop, whether his mind wanted to or not as he pants a little from being out of breath. They then carry him up the small driveway until he makes his way towards the white fence that separated the front yard from the back. After making it through, he works his way about the willow tree that hung low until he reaches the back. There was a wooden fence that held some sort of dying plant, but Troy knew that the only reason it was there was because the girl who lived there pretended that she wanted the plant to grow to her parents, but in all actuality it was really just a ladder for him.

Once climbing up the fence and swinging his legs over the balcony, he walks over to the two glass doors. He smiles as he could see a thin figure standing there in just a pink sports bra and black shorts. It was one of Troy's favorite things about surprising her up here, because usually he got to see her body in ways that most normal people didn't.

He opens one of the screen doors and watches as the girl spins around in shock. Her hair was completely down and in tight curls, but that wasn't what drew Troy's attention. There was a small silver metal object on her flat stomach around slightly red skin that wasn't there four weeks ago. "Troy! It's called knocking!" She says while grabbing a zip up black sweatshirt that was sitting on her bed. "One of these days you're gonna come in and I'm gonna be naked." She says angrily while zipping up the sweatshirt. Troy rolls his eyes and walks over to her.

"Then I'm gonna be lucky that day." He says while Gabriella rolls her eyes. But he keeps walking closer to her. "What the hell was that?" He asks while pointing to her stomach that was now hidden behind the sweatshirt.

Gabriella runs a hand through her long hair as she looks up into his piercing blue eyes with her deep brown. Troy smiles down at her as she shrugs. "What was what?" He stops in front of her and grabs the zipper. "Troy don't." She says while slapping his hand away. He knew he was going to get that reaction, but there was hope that maybe, just maybe she would be on a good day.

"Gab… come on." He says while staring into her eyes. He didn't have to say anything, but he was trying to convince her through his own eyes. He leans closer to her and drops his voice. "It's just me." He says, pleading with her. It was a way he tried to help her. Usually, if he could get her to do things around him, then sometimes she would open up a little more to the rest of the world.

Gabriella sucks in a deep breath as Troy could see her eyes were staring intently at his. But she swallows as he backs up towards her purple bed that had white pillars to it as he sits down. A smile plays on his lips as she walks towards him and nods. Her small fingers touch the zipper and plays with it. "Fine. But just a peak."

He nods as she pulls the zipper down a little more. Troy swallows as his male instincts kick in. He suddenly feels himself twitch a little and stiffen as she pulls further, revealing bare skin. Troy doesn't even bother to think it was weird that he was getting turned on by his best friend. Sure, he didn't like her like that, but there were moments like this where Troy looked up at her and didn't see the five year-old he used to play with. He'd look up into her gorgeous deep brown eyes, like he was doing right now, and see a very sexy woman, one that he would have killed to run his hands up and down. But Troy knew that was just the effect Gabriella had on guys. She was the hottest girl in the junior class, there was no denying that. She just never showed her gorgeous body off because she still thought it was a far thing from gorgeous.

Gabriella finally pulls the zipper down so you could barely see the small silver ball on her belly button. Troy smirks as his hand grabs her rough one that still had the zipper on it. It may have been his imagination, but he could have sworn he heard her grasp a little at his touch. He could feel himself completely hard now as he pulls the zipper down all the way and watches as the two halves split apart. His warm hand gently lifts up and touches the smooth surface of her flat stomach, while gently running his fingers over the belly button ring. In that moment, he had completely forgotten about Olivia as he smiles slightly, thinking about what it would feel like to run his hand further north up Gabriella's body and touch her chest.

But as quickly as it happened, Gabriella takes a step back and then zips up the sweatshirt again. Troy shakes his head, bringing himself out of the trance he was in and looks up at her. Her face was the color a tomato as she looks down at him. Troy tries to shake of the feeling, but still couldn't help but think about her sexually. But that was natural, wasn't it?

"So… is that what you did in Frisco?" He asks while finally standing up from her bed as her breathing now normal. "When Tay got her tattoo?"

She nods slowly. "I know it's not a big deal or anything, but I just wanted to do it."

It was a huge deal for Gabriella though, and Troy knew that. It was something she did for herself. Sure, a lot of girls got their belly button pierced, but to him it meant so much more that she did it. To him, it seemed like a step forward for her. Since she did it, which meant deep down, subconsciously maybe, she was comfortable enough to let people see it. It was defiantly a step forward in the right direction, and Troy was ecstatic for her. "It maybe not be a big deal, but it's so sexy. And I swear I'm not just saying that."

He always made compliments to her like this, like saying she was hot or beautiful or something like that. He tended to stay away from sexy when he was serious though, but this time he was dead serious. She flashes him a smile. "Thanks Troy." She says while then sitting on the bed. He walks over and sits next to her, still feeling that he was still hard and was trying his best to calm himself down. It was evident through his basketball shorts he was wearing, but if Gabriella noticed, she didn't say anything. "So… why didn't you tell me about her?"

Troy suddenly remembers the girl that had been on his mind for awhile now. He looks at Gabriella who had somewhat of a hurt expression on her face, but Troy just figures that was because he didn't tell her. "About who?" Troy tries to play dumb as Gabriella hits him on the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Olivia!" She says and Troy rubs the back of head at the impact point, since that actually sort of hurt. "You meet someone and you don't even tell me about her? Thanks." She says, he could tell there was a slight seriousness in her voice, yet it was meant to come across as a joke.

"Sorry. I just didn't know how you'd take it." He says honestly as Gabriella sighs and nods. "And then I was gonna tell you at the party, but it slipped my mind seeing you again." He says honestly again.

"She seems…err… nice." She says slowly and Troy nods, with a small smile playing on his lips at the thought of those gorgeous chocolate eyes and that amazing body.

"Yeah… she is." He says while watching her as she looks down at the floor. "She's a lot like you actually."

This was true. Troy saw a lot of similarities between Olivia and Gabriella. Except Olivia was shy, while Gabriella was out going. But they were both really nice, caring, passionate, and a lot of other things. Gabriella looks up at him and makes eye contact. "She's not fucked up though huh?"

Troy sighs as he shakes his head and places a hand on her small arm. "We've been over this. You're not fucked up." He says with concern laced with his voice. With most girls, he would have thought that this was just a fish for a compliment, but he knew that Gabriella truly believed this. "We're just taking it day by day remember?"

Gabriella sighs, obviously not wanting to talk about that touchy subject right now. "So… she's in gym with you?" She asks as Troy smiles again.

"Yeah… I get to see her hot ass legs." He says with a smirk as Gabriella hits his arm.

"I'm a girl Troy; I don't wanna listen to that." She says as he rolls his eyes.

"Bullshit. Do you know how many times I have to listen to you complain about your period or cramps? Don't even talk Montez." He says while Gabriella giggles a little as he nudges her with his elbow playfully. That was one of the things about her that he loved. They could go from a completely serious topic and make jokes after, or vise versa. She was just the easiest person to talk to in the world, and Troy wouldn't trade her for anything.

"Ok… ok you win." She says while getting up from the bed and her small figure walks towards the door. "I'm thirsty."

Troy smiles as he looks up at her. She was getting better that was for sure. Fewer than ten months ago she would have never let him see that part of her. She wasn't totally cured, and Troy didn't expect her to be. She still never wore tight clothing, and Troy knew that every meal for her was a challenge, especially when she was stressed out. Since she had gone into a pattern of not eating at all, he knew her body wanted to rebel against her when she ate currently. But her confidence was boosting a little, although Troy knew that the little voice inside her head still called her fat and when she ate it said she was loosing control, but she was learning to ignore it, which he was proud of her for.

She opens the door and Troy finally stands up from the bed again and follows her out. He was still only wearing basketball shorts, but was thankful that he was no longer hard. His feet follow hers as she walks down the steps and into the kitchen. "Dad? Are you here?"

Troy glances at her and gives her a dirty look as if to tell her to shut up. But she smiles innocently at him as he hears footsteps in the family room and then suddenly sees the tall man standing up while looking at Troy and his daughter.

"Troy. I didn't even know you were here." He says slowly while looking at the teenage up and down. Troy suddenly desperately wishes that he had worn a shirt running.

"Uh… yeah I was just running, and I was in the neighborhood…" He says while scratching the back of his neck. Gabriella giggles a little as she looks between the two guys and Troy shoots her another dirty look.

"I didn't hear you come in before." Mr. Montez states while Troy looks at Gabriella nervously.

"I… uh…"

"I let him in Daddy." She says while smiling. Gabriella walks to the refrigerator and grabs the pitcher of water. She then grabs two cups and pours while she looked at her dad.

"Really?" He asks while glancing at the window towards the backyard. He then turns back to Troy who was still feeling extremely awkward right now. "I'm thinking it's time we take down that vine fence." He says while pointing over his shoulder. Troy's eyes grow wide as he looks at Gabriella, who doesn't make any movement that anything would be wrong. They both knew that Mr. Montez knew what it was really for, but as long as they could avoid talking about it, it usually never came up in conversations. "The flowers aren't growing anymore and it's just a… hassle now." He says while looking at Troy.

Gabriella doesn't make any indication that there was another use for it. Troy assumes that she had gotten so good at lying to her parents last year that it was easy for her, while with him, she knew it was more difficult. "I guess if you want to. But it's so pretty Dad. I'd hate to waste it." She says while staring at her father and grabbing the two cups of water.

Mr. Montez sighs as he glances at Troy. "I haven't decided yet." He says while Troy looks back to see that Gabriella was walking towards him.

"Here take this." She says and while holding out a glass. She then turns back to her father. "We'll be on the porch if you need us." She says while grabbing Troy's wrist.

"Uh… it was nice seeing you Mr. Montez." Troy says while Jose looks at him.

"As well Troy." He says in a somewhat annoyed tone while Gabriella drags him out of the kitchen. They walk outside and she sits down on the front step to her house while taking a sip of water.

"He used to like me!" Troy exclaims while taking a seat next to her. She giggles beside him and he sighs. "What did I do?"

"You turned into a teenage boy." Gabriella says while Troy rolls his eyes.

"He's liked your boyfriends! And they all try to screw you!" He exclaims while Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"Don't ask me." She says. "And he does like you. I swear he does."

Troy raises his eyebrows. "He has a fucked up way of showing it."

Gabriella giggles. Troy had absolutely no idea that the real reason Mr. Montez was more hostel towards him then the other guys Gabriella brought over was because he was the only really big threat to take his daughter away from him. It was a fatherly instinct, but Troy had no idea that was the reason.

Gabriella looks up at him and smiles. "So… next weekend I have a session. Are you still taking me?."

Troy smiles a little. Gabriella had therapist meetings regularly once a month. When she was first diagnosed, she had to go everyday after school, and Troy went with her. Now that she was doing better, they moved it to once a month, unless she would have a breakdown or something. But it was almost like a tradition that Troy would take her, just to show her how much he cared about her. "Wouldn't miss it. And I'll take you out to ice cream after too, just cuz I like you." He says while she looks straight ahead with a small smile on her face.

"If I feel up to it." She says while glancing at him.

Troy sighs as he wraps an arm around her shoulder and nods. Just one day at a time, it was all he could ask for.

* * *

**A/N: I said this story would be a lot heavier. Thanks so much for giving this story a chance. You reading and you're reviews are amazing. Thanks so much!**


	4. That's What Friends Are For

Gabriella hears the last key of the piano and a smile immediately forms on her face. Ms. Darbus cuts Kelsi off, who looks up at Gabriella and gives her a thumbs up. Gabriella immediately breaks out into an even bigger grin as she giggles a little. She looks down at her sheet music, loving the song with every note that was written on the page. If there was one thing that chilled Gabriella out, it was singing. It was probably one of the reasons she was able to pull through what she went through last year with out killing herself in the process. "Bravo!" Ms. Darbus says to the highest choir of sixteen. " And Brava!" She exclaims while lifting her extremely large glasses up in the air. Gabriella smiles again as she suddenly hears the bell ring in the distance.

Gabriella walks down the risers and towards the center of the room. It was Friday, and she was thankful that the last class she had for the day was study hall. Finally, the first week of school was done with. It was long, extremely long actually. But Gabriella was ecstatic that it was finally the weekend. "Nice job today Kels." Gabriella says while meeting the small girl in the center of the room. Instead of actually singing for choir, Kelsi had offered to just play for Ms. Darbus.

"Thanks." Kelsi says, but grabs a bunch of papers. "I'm sorry Gabs, but I gotta go. Jason is waiting for me…" She starts to explain but Gabriella smiles and shakes her head.

"Just go." She says as Kelsi gives her a smile and a wave. Gabriella laughs a little as she watches the small girl run out of the choir room and down the hallway. She didn't have to hurry, because it was study hall and she had a popular teacher, Mr. Kenz, who didn't take attendance until the end of the hour. So she turns around and watches as other people file out of the room slowly.

"Great job today Gabs." A senior guy says while placing a hand on Gabriella's shoulder. She smiles sweetly at him as other people come up to her also and tell her how great her voice sounded today. Her voice was sounding so much better then what it was last year, and Gabriella would be the first to admit that. Maybe it was because she wasn't quite as stressed out as she was last year, which made things all the better.

She finally walks through the doorway and makes her way into the busy hallway. She watches as a couple of junior and senior boys walk in front of her, all smirking in their red and white football jerseys. "Looking good Montez!" One of them yells, Gabriella smiles, but reflexively pulls the open sweater that was covering her body around her stomach, to close the view.

"Gabriella!" She suddenly hears a voice from behind her and feels her stomach flip. She slowly turns around to see that another girl walks out of the choir room with her brown hair pulled into a half ponytail with her curls falling over her perfect shoulders. Olivia walks towards the petite girl and gives her a small sweet smile. "Can I walk with you?" She says shyly, and Gabriella does her best not to rolls her eyes. What was she going to say? No you can't?

"Sure." She says slowly while the two girls fall into step with each other. This would have to be about the third time that Gabriella would have actually talked to her. She had sat with them at lunch everyday since Tuesday, and to much of Gabriella's dismay, was constantly at Troy's locker. From what she had seen, Olivia had seemed like a nice, sweet, caring girl, just like Troy had said she was. The only problem with that was Gabriella couldn't find flaws in her to hate. She was already fitting in at East High, but Gabriella was certain half the reason was because she was now hanging out with the Wildcats' golden boy.

There was an awkward silence between the two. What could Gabriella say to the girl who the guy she had fallen for had a thing with now? Was there anything that could be said? Olivia clears her throat a little while looking up at Gabriella. "So… uh… how was your first week?"

Gabriella assumes that Olivia was trying her hardest to get on Troy's best friend's good side. She didn't blame the girl, since she would probably do the same. "It was… long." She responds while looking at the girl who was the same height as her. "How do you like it here?"

She was trying. She had to try for Troy. Even if she hated it every second of the way, she at least had to try. A smile forms on Olivia's face as she looks at Gabriella. "It's amazing. It was incredible for Julia to take me, and I'm so happy you guys have been so great."

Gabriella tries to put on a fake smile. "Good." She says as they turn down a hallway. Gabriella looks at the girl's flawless face. She was sweet, she could give her that. But of all the guys she could have met, why did she have to meet Troy? "Are you going to the game tonight?" She asks, making a reference to the first football game of the season. A small smile plays on Olivia's perfect lips. Gabriella knew the answer to this question, but she was almost hoping that Olivia would say something different, just incase he had decided against it at the last minute.

"Yeah… actually, Troy's driving me, since Julia has to go early for cheerleading." She says while Gabriella looks away from the eye contact that she was trying to make. The last thing Gabriella wanted was to show this girl the pain in her eyes as the words were spoken. They were technically going on a date, since Troy would obviously take her to a party afterwards. She closes her eyes and desperately wishes that she could be this girl. Everything about her was perfect, so why was she stuck being imperfect Gabriella Montez?

"Oh yeah… he mentioned that." Gabriella replies softly. They turn down their own hallway and Gabriella walks straight to her locker, with out waiting to see if Olivia had come with.

"Oh, hey Liv!" She hears her best girl friend's voice say as Gabriella looks up to see Taylor was already at her locker. Gabriella spins the combination on her own and opens it up, sighing as she runs a hand through her hair. It felt too curly and disgusting compared to Olivia's perfect hair. She looks up, in search of a mirror inside her locker, but then remembers that she wasn't supposed to have too many mirrors because it wouldn't help with her issue. "Cute top!" Taylor says while Gabriella could just imagine her sweet face blushing. It made her want to throw up.

"Thanks Tay." She says. The gang seemed to take well to Olivia the past week, well, maybe besides Sharpay, which Gabriella was somewhat thankful for. It was nice to have someone not sit there and tell her how she should just give the girl a chance. Chad seemed to be on Gabriella's side too, although he would hide it when his best friend was around.

The air that Gabriella was breathing suddenly becomes holier as she finishes grabbing her homework and turns around. Walking towards them with Chad at his side was the East High's basketball captain. He flashes Gabriella a smile, and she feels her heart lift. But it comes crashing down again when she sees him walk straight up to Olivia, and not her. "Hey Liv." He greets her and Gabriella's eyes suddenly lock with Chad's, whose arm was now wrapped around Taylor's waist.

"What's up Gabs?" Chad asks while Gabriella gives him a sad smile. He knew exactly what was up, and it was nothing happy. "You're going to the game tonight right?"

She nods slowly, trying to drone out the giggles that were erupting from Olivia by Troy's flirting. But as they say, she was saved by the bell when the warning bell rings. She quickly shuts her locker and turns to Chad and Taylor. "I'll see you guys later."

Her eyes glance at her best friend, who now had his hand on Olivia's arm and was staring at her like she was the only girl in the world. Gabriella suddenly feels her heart break further open at the sight. She couldn't stand to watch them anymore, so she turns in the opposite direction and begins to walk towards their study hall. Her feet try to move faster, but she suddenly hears a voice that seemed to cut through every other. "Gab! Gab wait up!" Few people were in the hallway at that time, since it was so close to the bell ringing. Gabriella doesn't stop her pace though as she finally hears Troy jog up beside her. "Hey!" He says excitedly as Gabriella gives him a half smile, but doesn't look at him. "Whoa, where's the fire?"

Gabriella suddenly slows her walk to a slower pace. "Sorry." She mumbles while still continuing to not look at him.

"So… why didn't you wait for me? You made me walk all the way over to your locker, and you leave… Thanks Montez." He says in a joking matter, nudging his hip against hers playfully with his.

Gabriella finally looks up into his crystal blue eyes. "You were busy." She says more coldly then she wanted to, but he didn't seem to notice as a smile forms on his face.

"Yeah… well, you know." He says while giving a slight chuckle. She looks at him desperately. She wanted to be happy for him. So desperately she wanted to, but she just couldn't. He had too much of a grip on her heart. A grip that wouldn't go away anytime soon.

The final bell rings but neither of them bother to change the speed. They turn one more corner and walk into the classroom, with noise filling Gabriella's ears. The seats were practically filled up, besides two empty desks that were on opposite sides of the room. This could work for her. She still couldn't stand to be around Troy at the moment, especially since he was beaming, and for reasons that weren't her. "Ok guys, take your seats. Find something productive to do and be quiet." Kenz says. He was a young teacher, probably about twenty five with his hair in blond spikes.

"Damn…" Troy says while Gabriella walks towards one desk. "Gab!" He whispers as she glances back at him. She shrugs and then sits down in the seat closest to the window.

"Wow… he really can't do anything without you huh?" She hears a voice from behind her that makes her smile. She turns around to see a guy with brown, spiky hair. His face was tan, tanner than Troy's, and he had the most incredible smile in the world. He was wearing a red and white football jersey with jeans and a small, but noticeable "C" was over his chest in the right hand corner.

"He can. Trust me." Gabriella says the last part quietly. But she turns around fully and looks into the faint green eyes that were looking back at her. She smiles at him and tries to push the guy that was trying to get her attention on the other side of the room out of her mind, but it wasn't working too well. She could see in the corner of her eye that Troy was waving to get her attention, but she continues to stare at the senior football captain, almost as if playing hard to get. "But Cody Sanborn. Why is a senior sitting in study hall? Don't you have senior release?"

Cody Sanborn was captain of the football team, and also in Gabriella's chemistry class last year. They had become close then, and he seemed to be the 'Troy Bolton' of the senior class, although Troy was the golden boy of the whole school. "We have to come back right after school for the game, and I was too lazy to go home so I asked Kenz if I could just chill in here." He says while stretching his legs out and placing his hands behind his head. Gabriella suddenly remembers that Kenz was an assistant coach for the football team. "So how've you been? I'm pissed I don't get to see you in chem anymore."

Gabriella smiles as she shrugs. "I'm alright." She says as she suddenly feels a crumpled up ball of paper hit her arm. She glances back to see that Kenz was reading a Sports Illustrated. She picks up the ball and opens it up. _I'm fucking bored. Come sit by me._

Gabriella rolls her eyes as she pulls a pen from her bag and glances over to see Troy smiling at her, satisfied that he finally got her attention. _No! Figure out a way to come over here_. She writes back and crumples the paper up again. She then chucks it across the room and watches as it hits the wall and bounces on his table. "So, you're not going out yet?" Cody asks in a whisper while Gabriella rips her eyes away from Troy and looks back at him.

She shakes her head. "No… he's into that new girl."

Cody nods and clicks the pen he was holding. "I heard about that. Jules' cousin right? She's hot." He says while Gabriella gives him a 'that's not helping' look. "That sucks, I'm gonna loose twenty bucks."

Gabriella raises her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

He sighs as Gabriella quickly glances over to see that Troy was looking over at the heads by them. She looks back at Cody who gives her a playful smirk. "The seniors had a bet going on how long it would be until you guys went out. I said two weeks after the first day." He explains. "Oh well, the guys on the team are happy though. They're gonna be swarming you if Bolton asks her out."

Gabriella raises her eyebrows again. "What? Why would they swarm me?"

Cody shrugs again as he leans forward in his desk. "No one will to mess with Bolton. They're too afraid the school with fuck them up if they do." He explains while Gabriella steals a glance from Troy who was looking at her desperately. "Whether they know if he likes you or not, it doesn't matter. As long as he's single, you're the number one girl in his life. If they fuck with you, Troy will go after them and you know it." She looks at the ground. "Troy may be the coolest guy without having to be cocky, but you know that if anything happened to you, he'd make sure they wish they'd never touched you."

Gabriella nods in understanding. Troy always protected her, through everything that had been thrown at her. She knew he would get in a fight for her in a heart beat. "But why would that change if he goes out with Olivia?"

Cody looks up at her, almost as if saying he was choosing his words carefully. Gabriella doesn't even notice that Troy finally gets up from the seat he was in and starts to make his way over to them. "Because, if he's with her, you have to share him." He says as Troy squeezes his way through the back of the room, still out of earshot. "With her…" Cody says slowly while maintaining eye contact with her. "He's not gonna have the same amount of time with you. You're vulnerable without him."

Gabriella stares at him for a moment. The words weren't meant to scare her, but they did. They scared the hell out of her actually. Cody was right. If Troy went out with Olivia, he wouldn't have the same amount of time for her anymore. She would be put onto the back burner, his number two. He was exactly right, she was vulnerable without him. But she wasn't thinking about other guys, she was more thinking about how he brought her courage. Without him, Gabriella knew she would be easier to snap.

"Hey man, what's up?" She doesn't even hear Troy greet Cody. Her eyes were now sparkling with tears that were threatening to run down her face, but she sucks them in. "Gab… Gab you're pale." A sudden touch of his hand on her forearm and Gabriella comes back to reality. He had concern written across his face. He gets out of the chair that he managed to switch with someone next to her before as he kneels down in front of her. "You didn't…?" He asks in a low voice laced with concern that only she could hear. It was obvious that he thought she was physically sick from not eating, or worse, throwing up what she ate.

"I swear I ate. I promise. And I didn't…" She says honestly while staring into his eyes. He looks at her back, not believing her but she was trying to get him to believe her. The last thing she needed right now was him going to her parents and telling them that this was starting up again when she didn't. "I did Troy." She says with more confidence. She glances back to see that Cody was now talking with someone behind him, obviously unaware of this moment the two were having. Gabriella grabs the side of Troy's neck, trying to absorb this moment, because if Cody was right, then she wasn't going to have many more of these like it soon.

He sighs, believing her probably since the color was now back in Gabriella's face. He grabs her hand and Gabriella feels a million sparks run through it as he brings it down lower and then caresses it lightly. "Don't scare me like that again." He whispers as Gabriella nods to make him happy.

* * *

He could feel the electrifying feeling coursing through his body as his pelvis rubbed up against her back dangerously. But he feels her head come up and smiles at him. "Let's take a break." She whispers as he reluctantly pulls away from her, to feel her grab his wrist and pull him over to the side.

"Hey Troy." A slurred voice fills his ears as he looks up.

Troy beams as he takes a sip from the red cup he was drinking out of and looks back at the huge afro he was talking to. Alcohol was slowly making its way through his body as he fixes his bangs a little. It was two hours after East High dominated against the other team, making sure that everyone knew they were in for a great football season. Now, they were at the after party that was being held at a senior on the team's house, since evidently his parents were out of town for the weekend.

Troy grins at the brunette standing beside him, decked out in all East High colors. She seemed to fit right in at the game, cheering on the team next to him the whole time like she had been there since freshman year. Troy's arm was draped over her shoulders as he couldn't believe that he was actually out on a semi-date with her. She hadn't left his side since they walked into the party, and he was hoping she wouldn't leave it at all.

"Can you believe that pass right before half time?" Chad asks while bringing Taylor closer to him. "That was fucking amazing."

Troy smiles a little while taking another sip of his vodka. He wasn't smashed, at least not yet, since he had only started drinking a half hour ago when Olivia started. He was pretty sure Chad was hammered by now, while Taylor was only slightly tipsy. "Yeah Chad, we heard over forty times."

Music was blaring through the living room while he could see teenagers grinding up against each other. He catches a glimpse of a platinum blond head, leading her boyfriend back towards where the four of them were standing. Kelsi and Jason went home, since Kelsi really wasn't much of a drinker and Jason didn't want to go without her. "It's so sweaty out there!" Sharpay exclaims while wiping her forehead. Sharpay, who wasn't shy about drinking, seemed to be completely wasted as she trips on her heels. Zeke catches her as she giggles and turns to Taylor. "Where is she?"

Troy knew exactly who they were talking about, and he was wondering the exact same question. His eyes scan the faces on the dance floor, but he found himself extremely unsuccessful finding her. Instead, all he could find were extremely horny teenagers who probably didn't need a room to get anywhere. "I don't know… I haven't seen her since I brought her here."

He thinks about that for a moment. He was pretty sure that the last time he saw he too was at the game. He had no idea. Wow he couldn't believe that actually slipped his mind. Just being with Olivia made him forget about other things. But that was natural when you fell for someone. You tended to forget about other things. "Is she still here?"

Taylor shoots him a nasty look as Sharpay narrows her eyes on him. Wait, what did he do? "She's your b-best friend!" Sharpay slurs out while sticking her tongue out and tries to grab the straw that was in her red cup to give her more of the fruity drink.

Zeke rolls his eyes and then grabs the red plastic and takes it away from her. "You've had enough."

She was right though. She was Troy's best friend and he had no idea where she was. He turns to the brunette girl he had his arm draped over and leans down, brushing up against her ear ever so slightly and seductively. "I'm gonna go find Gabi alright?" He says while pulling away from her. Olivia shudders at his action, while Troy smirks since that was exactly the reaction he was looking for.

"I'll come with you." She responds while Troy beams. Usually, if he took a girl out, they would get extremely jealous if he told them he had to go find Gabriella, or had to go do something with Gabriella. But Olivia seemed to be ok with the whole fact that he had a best friend who would always be his number one. Maybe that was a reason why he liked her so much.

"We'll be back." Troy says while looking at the four, figuring that Zeke was probably going to take Sharpay home soon since she was so smashed and Taylor would probably be driving Chad home within the next two hours. His arm removes from her shoulders as he reaches down and grabs Olivia's soft hand, sending shock waves from his hand to his heart. It was a different fit then Gabriella's. Gabriella's rough calloused hands slipped securely in his, while Olivia's was soft and delicate, yet somewhat adventurous since it didn't quite fall into place with his own. It was something that would have to mold to his.

He pulls her through the living room with the base vibrating against his body. Temptation to wrap his arms around Olivia's back and start grinding again had to be killed. _Gabriella. You have to find Gabriella_. He tells himself over and over again. "Do you think she's here?" Olivia yells over the music and Troy looks back to see her face seemed to be glowing even more in the dark. He could see the strap on her red tank top was starting to fall down her shoulder. Troy could feel a small throb start to form in between his legs. How the hell could a girl get that hot?

_Gabriella you idiot! _"Uh… I don't know." He says while searching more through out the crowd. It was a tight fit, and bodies were bumping and grinding up next to him, celebrating East High's first victory. But then suddenly, something catches his eye. He pulls Olivia closer as well, to get a better look. A small, almost black haired girl was shoving her pelvis into the front a familiar senior blond haired guy, who was on the football team. He had his hands all over her, running down her front and sides, while moving to the beat that was playing almost dangerously. Her hands were on the back of his neck, pulling his head down towards her neck where Troy could see little red marks were formed.

His stomach does about forty back flips. He wanted to burn the hands that were resting on Gabriella's stomach at the moment. He wanted to rip off the lips that were now pressed against her perfect neck. He wanted to slam the guy up against the wall in the corner so hard he would bleed. Familiar fire was running down his veins as he walks briskly over to where the two were dancing, completely forgetting he was holding Olivia's hand so he drops it. Even though Gabriella was usually self-conscious, Troy knew that if she was having a good day, she'd be able to break loose. For other circumstances, he would have been thrilled for her. But for right now, he just wanted to break Nick's jaw. "You're so fucking hot…" He hears the running back for East High say to his best friend while Troy could feel his fists whiten.

"Hey, Jules!" Troy barely registers Olivia say her cousin's name, or her turning to him. "I'm gonna go talk to her for a bit."

"Yeah ok." Troy says rushed, not really comprehending what was just said. "Gab! Gabi!" He calls her name and suddenly sees her look up. The lazy smile that was on her face a moment ago falls as she looks over to see Troy starting to walk away from Olivia and Julia through the crowd. Troy tries to shrug it off, but stores it in the back of his head. He walks up to see that she was still moving to the beat a little, while Nick's hands were roaming around. Fire shoots through Troy again as he sees the running back's hands brush up against her lower breasts that were hidden underneath her loose long-sleeved Wildcats shirt. "Hey, I haven't seen you all night."

Her dark eyes look at him as she nods slowly. She steps away from Nick, who looks at her longingly for a moment, before walking off somewhere else. Suck on that. "Uh… yeah. You've been… busy." She says with a quick glace over to where Troy saw Olivia talking to Julia and another guy from his grade. He turns back to Gabriella who gives him a small, sweet smile that Troy knew was beautiful. "How's the date going?"

"Good." He says while suddenly getting a need to touch her. So he suddenly grabs her arm and pulls her closer to him. Gabriella was taken by surprise for a moment but then Troy leans down towards her and close to her ear so she could hear him. "You looked like you were having fun."

He breathes in her scent and he was pretty sure she was doing the same to him. He couldn't see what she was doing, but if it was anything he was, he was closing his eyes and trying his hardest to bring her closer. It was a sensation that overcame him once in awhile, the sensation to run his hands over her, and he completely forgot that Olivia was standing only a few feet away, talking with her cousin. "I'm am." She whispers slowly in Troy's ear as the familiar throb was starting to form again.

"COPS!" Someone yells and Troy suddenly hears the music stop. He glances over his shoulder to see that people were panicking. The lights stay off but Troy's heart suddenly started increasing speed. He couldn't get caught here; he'd be suspended from basketball if he did. That couldn't happen. There was no way it was going to.

"I have to find Tay…" Gabriella begins to say but Troy grabs her hand instead.

"No… I'm not letting you get caught. You're coming with me." He says as they reflexively lace fingers. Troy looks over to find that Olivia was making her way through the crowd towards him. "Liv!" He calls as he reaches out his hand and she takes it. Their own fingers lace as Troy then pulls the two girls towards the back doors that were being spilled out of by wasted people right now. "Get down the hill, I'm parked down there."

He pushes Olivia into the door and out to the warm night when he suddenly sees the lights switch on. His piercing blue eyes turn over to see that a cop was standing in the doorway. "No one leave!" He yells as Troy suddenly feels a tug on his hand and turns around to face his best friend.

"Troy come on!" Gabriella says in a hushed tone as the cop was suddenly walking up to a bunch of guys who were completely trashed and shouting things at them. Troy and Gabriella burst through the door as they start to make their way down the hill that was his backyard. But Troy feels his foot connect with an uneven spot in the ground and he looses his balance, pulling Gabriella down with him. They begin rolling down the large hill, Troy feeling the grass burn against his skin as Gabriella's light body weight was crashing next to his, as he tries his hardest to keep her hand in his, but they break apart by the force.

Once they finally made it to the bottom, Troy pulls Gabriella up by the hand and they race towards the small black truck that was sitting there, just incase something like this happened. Troy grabs his keys as he finally lets go of Gabriella's hand and watches as she runs to the passenger's side since Olivia was standing next to the back seat. Troy fumbles with the keys until he finally gets them in the slot and rips the door open. Once the two girls get inside, Troy turns the truck on, but leaves the headlights off just incase there was a cop looking from the top of the hill. Once they got out of range, Troy turns his lights on and lets out a breath. "Holy shit!" He exclaims as Olivia giggles her sweet laugh in the back seat while Gabriella rolls her eyes. "Sorry 'bout that Liv." He says while glancing back at the perfect girl in the back seat.

"Hey… it makes life exciting." She says while Troy flashes her his famous smile.

"Tay and Chad got out ten minutes before they showed up." Gabriella says with her phone out, probably texting Taylor right now. "And Zeke and Shar got out right away, so we're all safe." She says while closing her phone and looking at him. He glances at her and gives a small smile. "Thanks for getting me out."

Troy smiles brighter at her and touches her hand that was resting on her leg, going unnoticed by Olivia who was looking out the window in the back seat. "I think you know by now I'd never let you go down. Not if I have anything to do with it."

* * *

**A/N: I know this is a really long chapter, but I like it. Anyways, thanks so much for your reviews and for reading. You guys are so amazing!!**


	5. Broken Wings

_Troy could feel his stomach getting numb. His face was illuminated by the TV in front of him as the carpet seemed to be pushing up further through his entire body. He sighs, and flips over onto his back then sits up, trying to get the feeling back in his front side. The cardboard sitting next to him moves a little, as he grabs a slice of the contents inside. He could feel the bottom was loosing it's heat, but it didn't matter. He places the sausage and pepperoni pizza in his mouth and feels the sauce begin to ooze out. The stringy cheese connects with the medal braces inside as he could feel it was sticking to them. It tasted so good._

"_This movie sucks." He says while turning around to his couch to see a petite fourteen year old look up from the magazine she was reading. "Hey! You're not even watching it!"_

"_I am too!" She rebuts as Troy rolls his eyes. "I'm just multitasking."_

"_Yeah, whatever." He says while getting up from the floor, feeling the blood rush back into his body. He falls down against his best friend's side and watches as she looks back down at the teen bible below her. He loved night like this. When his parents were out and he had Gabriella over by herself. No Chad, no Sharpay, no Taylor, just Gabriella. "What are you looking at anyways?" He asks while Gabriella's eyes move back up to his and lock._

"_Tay, Shar, and I are going shopping tomorrow. I'm scooping what's hot now." She says while looking down at the magazine again. Troy rolls his eyes. He never understood a girl's desire to shop, it never made any sense to him. But Sharpay and Gabriella were pros at it, while they were dragging Taylor down with them. It had to have been a girl thing, and he knew that, he just never understood it at all._

_He watches as she adjusts the tight knit that she was wearing and smirks. He could see a hint of her small cleavage that she was starting to show off, and he loving every minute of it. But what fourteen year old guy didn't like that? Even if he was best friends with her, Troy knew that she was the hottest girl in his class. There was no denying that. "Can't you just look tomorrow?" Troy asks while trying to grab the magazine from her, but she pulls it out of his reach._

"_I'm almost done. Then we can go play foosball or something." She says as she looks down and circles something with a pen that Troy never noticed she was holding before. That was the best thing about Gabriella, is that she could be a girl when she was with Sharpay and Taylor, but when she was with Troy, she could turn the switch and play sports with him, or other things of that nature. _

"_Well hurry up, cuz I'm getting so sick of this movie!" He complains while Gabriella rolls her eye._

"_So how's things with Katie?" Gabriella asks while turning a page in the magazine. Troy shrugs at the sound of his girlfriend's name. They had only been dating for a week, and she was already starting to get clingy. He was starting to get extremely annoyed with her._

"_She won't leave me alone." Troy complains as he sighs while looking at her. She seemed to be staring contently on a page, her eyes scanning back and forth, probably reading something. "I think she's mad at me." He proclaims as Gabriella's eyes quickly glance up at him._

"_Why?" She asks in her sweet voice that makes Troy smile a little._

_He shrugs. "She wanted to go to the movies but then got mad when I told her I was hanging out with you." He says while Gabriella rolls her eyes and turns another page._

"_When are we going to find you a girl who DOESN'T get mad about being friends with me?" She asks as Troy smiles at her and he shrugs. "Or… you could just drop me and the problem would be solved." She says in a completely joking manner._

"_Yea… and then I'll go into depression and have to slit my wrists." He says while watching as she giggles a little._

"_That could get messy." She states as he smirks and shrugs again._

"_So what about you and… what's his face." Troy says even though he knew exactly who her boyfriend was._

"_Peter? He's great." She says while a small smile playing on her lips. Troy looks down, not wanting to show her his disappointment. It wasn't that he didn't like Peter, cuz he was friends with him, he just hated how this was the first time in the two weeks since the other two started dating that he had gotten to hang out with her. It was probably the reason he started dating Katie last week anyways. "We're hanging out tomorrow after we go shopping."_

_Troy feels a pang of disappointment. Sure, it was probably selfish that he wanted Gabriella all to himself, but come on! They were best friends! "Sounds like fun." Troy says in a small voice. That meant he was going to have to call up Chad, because there was no way in hell he was going to hang out with Katie tomorrow. _

"_Yeah… he's really a great guy." She says with a smile that makes Troy's face drop a little._

"_Seems like it." He says through gritted teeth while Gabriella turns the page._

"_Uh… look at her!" Gabriella says with disgust in her voice as Troy looks over the top of the magazine as she slams it down. "Why the hell are they that gorgeous?" She asks while pointing down at a model in a swimsuit._

"_You call that gorgeous?" Troy asks while looking at the woman who was posing in a seductive manner. Her elbows seemed to be popping out of her arms as well as her boney ankles. Yeah, her face was pretty but her body was so tall and thin, it was almost disgusting to look at. "I call that Anorexia, but whatever you say."_

_Gabriella continues to stare down at the smooth surface of the magazine. "I guess she's a little too thin." She says in a small voice._

_Troy rolls his eyes. "Why the hell would you WANT to be that thin?" He asks while shutting the magazine. "You're way hotter then that girl." He explains as a blush erupts on Gabriella's face. She looks down shyly and then back up at him._

"_Thanks Troy." She says as he smirks and grabs her hand, pulling her up to a standing position._

"_Just don't get used to it." He says while smiling as she giggles and blushes again. He puts an arm around her in a half hug and then they start walking towards the basement. "I wanna kick your butt in foosball." He exclaims while Gabriella giggles._

"_Dream on Bolton." She says as they both look at each other smiling._

* * *

Gabriella sighs as she looks up in the white room and closes her eyes. She hated this room, more then any other place in her life. It was where they forced you to say things that they think you're thinking. They try to pry at your brain, to uncover the mysteries of it. She knew she had to go, and she knew that it was one of the reasons she was getting better, but it didn't mean that she couldn't hate the place in the process. Her deep brown eyes look up to see a woman with extremely small glasses, making her eyes look professional in themselves. Her brown hair was curled slightly as it fell right below her hard cheekbones. She had on a turtleneck, even though it was early September in Albuquerque, which meant the temperature didn't drop below 65 degrees. But what Gabriella couldn't help but stare at was the ugly black mole on the side of her face that was right inline with her left eye.

Dr. Wilson was supposed to be the best in the business. It wasn't that Gabriella hated her; she just hated what she did to her. She pried at her mind, forcing the contents to spill out even when she didn't want them too. Her eyes close for a moment, trying to get out of this room where the secrets all came out. She could imagine that Troy was probably over at the sporting goods store across the street, waiting until her hour was up when he could come pick her up. "So…" Dr. Wilson says. The hour had started ten minutes ago and Gabriella glances at the woman dressed in the ugly clothing, waiting for her to talk next. "Do you have any big plans for this weekend?"

This is how the sessions always started out. Wilson would ask her stupid things about her life to try to ease her into the session. They had just gotten done talking about her family, while Gabriella leans back in her bright blue uncomfortable chair while staring at the ugly black mole on her doctor's head. "Just hanging out with friends." She says while trying not to throw up at the mole.

Wilson nods and smiles as she leans forward in the chair. "How is Taylor? Is she still dating Chad? What about Sharpay? How are she and Zack?" She asks while Gabriella rolls her eyes. Here we go again.

"Sharpay is dating Zeke." She says boredly while glancing out the window to see the department store across the street.

"Sorry." She mumbles while leaning back in her own chair with the famous clipboard in her hands. "Troy looked different when he walked in. Did he get his hair cut?" Wilson says and Gabriella's eyes immediately spring up from the floor and lock with this woman's brown at the sound of her best friend's name. This was hard to talk about in front of her, because Gabriella knew she knew her feeling for Troy. It was obvious by Gabriella's actions during their sessions whenever Troy came up in conversation, which was usually every time. It seemed to Gabriella that Troy was Dr. Wilson's favorite subject. Well, besides the whole Anorexia thing.

"Um… yeah." She says. "About a month ago." She says while looking at the ground, thinking of how much she loved his hair, along with everything else about him.

"So… is he getting ready for basketball?" She asks as Gabriella looks up at the clock. They were wasting time talking about him, but she knew that Wilson had her own way of leading this in to talking about her messed up views of herself.

"Basketball doesn't start until November." Gabriella says like she was stupid for not knowing.

"So what is he doing now?" She asks while looking over her glasses at Gabriella.

She feels her right hand travel over and slowly pick up the blue rubber band sitting on her wrist and begins to snap it. "Umm… he's spending a lot of time with this new girl at school." She says in a soft voice, not even knowing where that came out from.

Dr. Wilson's eyes look up, seeming interested in this topic now. Her eyes look down to Gabriella's hands as she continues to play with the rubber band. "Oh? What's she like?"

Gabriella sighs, imagining Olivia's perfect body. "Her name's Olivia. She's got perfect brown hair, a perfect smile, perfect body, she's nice, smart, and over all great." Gabriella says with jealousy evident in her voice with every word that was said.

Dr. Wilson nods as she writes something down on her clipboard. "So… do you like her?" She asks while Gabriella looks away from the woman and down at the ugly navy blue carpet on the floor. Couldn't this woman match a little?

"Yeah…" Gabriella says honestly. It wasn't that she didn't like Olivia; she just didn't like how she was stealing her best friend's heart away. "She's perfect."

Dr. Wilson smiles a little then writes something else down. "How do you feel about him spending time with her?"

Gabriella knew exactly where this was going. "I don't care." She tries to play it off that way, but it was evident that she did care.

"Really?" Wilson says with her eyebrows raised. "Because if it were my best friend, I'd probably feel bad about him spending less time with me."

Gabriella continues to play with the rubber band in her hand, no longer snapping it but now playing with it around her fingers. "He's not spending less time with me… yet." She says while glancing out the window.

"Are you afraid he's going to if they become more serious?" Dr. Wilson asks, and Gabriella glares at her for knowing that was exactly how she was feeling.

"What does this have to do with being Anorexic?" Gabriella asks with anger laced in her voice. The woman looks up at her a little shocked at her outburst.

She sighs as she places her clipboard in her lap. "You're scared your going to loose him aren't you?" She asks ignoring Gabriella's question.

"I'm not going to loose him." She says while looking down at the floor again, knowing that Dr. Wilson had actually just hit right on her fears. "He's my best friend… he's allowed to be happy." She says softly as Wilson writes something down.

"Do you compare yourself to her?" She asks as Gabriella glares at her again. Damn, this doctor was good.

"I'm not gonnna stop eating just cuz she's fucking gorgeous!" Gabriella exclaims while standing up. Wilson sighs as she writes something else down.

"But you feel like she's better then you. You feel like she's beautiful which makes Troy fall for her more." She says while Gabriella could feel herself take deep breaths. She knew everything that was going through Gabriella's mind right now, and it was driving her crazy.

Gabriella sighs angrily while looking at the doctor. "Can we not talk about Troy?" She asks while the doctor sighs and nods. Gabriella sits down again in the chair.

"How are you feeling when you eat?" She asks as Gabriella looks down in her lap again.

"It's better." Gabriella says softly.

"Are you still feeling guilty?" She asks while Gabriella looks up at her. What was the sense of lying? She was going to get it out of her anyways. She sighs as she nods.

"A little. Breakfast is always ok, lunch is the worst since everyone's around…" She says as Wilson nods and writes something down. "And dinner sucks because my parents practically shove food down my throat." She says while Dr. Wilson looks back up at her.

"I'm sure they're just trying to make sure you eat." She says while Gabriella shrugs and looks out the window.

"Isn't everyone?" She says while sighing.

The hour comes to a close after Dr. Wilson asks her more questions about her eating habits. Gabriella stands up while Dr. Wilson does also. "You've come a long way Gabriella. And I'm very proud of you. Everyone is." She says while Gabriella does her best not to roll her eyes. She hears this speech every month. "We'll make a phone call to your mother for when we'll schedule for next month." She says and Gabriella nods, knowing the drill. "I'll walk you out."

Dr. Wilson opens the door to her room and walks with Gabriella into the waiting room that was decorated much better then the inside room, with much warmer colors. Her eyes suddenly lock on the guy who was sitting down in one of the chairs, reading a Sports Illustrated. His piercing blue eyes look up and make contact with Gabriella's deep brown. A smile erupts on his face as he puts the magazine down and stands up. "You done?" He asks while Gabriella nods slowly.

"It was nice seeing you again Troy." Dr. Wilson says as Troy smiles and nods.

"You too Dr. Wilson." He says as Gabriella turns around one more time to see the ugly mole resting on the side of her Doctor's face. She gives Gabriella one last wave before walking back into her office. Gabriella turns around and rolls her eyes while Troy smirks and walks over to her, wrapping his arms around her petite body. She closes her eyes and takes in her favorite scent and then feels him let her go, while then putting an arm around her shoulders. "How'd it go?"

Gabriella shrugs as she lets Troy lead her out of the waiting room and out the door into a long narrow dark hallway. "Alright." She says as they start to make their way down the stairs, Troy taking his arm around away from her shoulders as she feels emptiness take its place. "Same old shit." She says as she could hear her voice echo in the stairway.

"So… you up for ice cream? I gotta talk to you about something." He asks while looking at her. When his perfect voice first says the food, she could almost feel her stomach repulse it, but the look in his eyes gives her the feeling that she could do this.

"Uh… I guess so." She says as he smiles and they walk out of the building and towards the small blacktruckthat was parked on the road.

"Great!" He says excitedly as Gabriella giggles a little at his actions. She gets into the passenger seat as Troy hops in the driver's seat and they pull out from the side of the road. "So what'd she say?"

Gabriella looks out the window at the stores and businesses that passes by. She tries not to look at him, to say that they were talking about him for a lot of the time. "You know… 'you're doing great, everyone's proud of you, keep eating or else you'll die!' It's kinda getting old."

Troy glances her a look and takes her hand. She feels her body tremble a little at the action, but feels their fingers reflexively lace, showing Gabriella the glint of his red stone with a gold band of his class ring on his right hand. It was just something they did whenever they held hands. Even though they never did it for long, since that was what couples do, she never really understood why Troy got random temptations to do things like this, but she wasn't complaining. "I am proud of you." He says as he puts the blinker on and turns. "As cheesy as it sounds I am."

Gabriella smiles a little as she looks out the window again away from him. She could feel his thumb caress her hand a little as she feels thetruckcome to a stop and she looks to find they were in front of a local ice cream parlor that Troy's mom used to take them too all the time when they were little kids. Gabriella reluctantly lets go of Troy's hand and gets out of the car. They walk inside and Troy smiles at Gabriella. "So… what are you getting?" She asks him as he rolls his eyes at her.

"Chocolate. What else would I get?" He says while she giggles a little. "Get whatever you want. I know you wanna get that brownie sundae." He says while wiggling his eyebrows, making Gabriella giggle a little.

"Vanilla's fine with me." She says as Troy rolls his eyes playfully.

"Boring." He chimes as Gabriella giggles again. "Go get a table. I'll get it."

Gabriella nods and listens to him. She walks by a family of four who was out eating. Gabriella slides in at a small booth made for two as she straightens out her fleece zip up sweatshirt a little. After three minutes, she turns to find that Troy was sliding in, holding a huge waffle cone with chocolate ice cream and a smaller cone holding one scoop of vanilla. "Thanks." She responds while taking hers from his hand and staring at it for a moment. Her immediate reaction was thinking of the fat that was going to sit in her stomach after eating this, but she shoves that thought aside angrily. "So… you wanted to talk to me about something?" She asks while taking a lick. Her throat closes up again, but she swallows it anyways. It did taste amazing, she had to admit that.

Troy's face gets excited as he takes another bite of his waffle cone and nods. "Yeah… there is something I wanna talk to you about. Your opinion actually."

Gabriella suddenly tenses up. Uh oh, this didn't sound good. Troy had a goofy smirk on his face that Gabriella was seeing a lot of lately. He was staring at her while taking licks of his ice cream, while Gabriella slowly takes one of her own. She knew where this was going, and was afraid to say anything because then he would confirm what she was thinking. "Um… ok shoot." She says slowly, knowing what was coming next.

"What'd do you think of Olivia?" He asks and Gabriella knew for certain where this was going now. Her heart almost stops beating as she knew exactly what he was gonna say. He was going to ask her out, and he wanted his best friend's opinion on her first. It was obvious, there was no hiding it in the grin Troy had on his face.

Gabriella shifts uncomfortably in her seat and looks down at her hands. "Well… she's gorgeous, I'll give you that. And she's nice I guess. And sweet." She says while daring to look up to see Troy smile even further, probably thinking about her with each descriptive word Gabriella used. "Why?" She asks while taking another lick of her ice cream that was loosing the good taste of its flavor quickly. She was starting to get repulsed by it again.

Troy smiles and takes a bite of the cone of his ice cream. He lowers his hands as she could tell he was maintaining eye contact with her to read her reactions. "Promise not to freak out ok?" He says while still smiling. Gabriella bites her lower lip and stares into his drowning blue eyes, wanting to stare at them forever.

She closes her eyes, finding herself in complete darkness and nods slowly. "Promise." She whispers as she opens her eyes again to find that he was still grinning.

"She's coming over to hang out tonight and I think… I think I'm gonna ask her out." He says grinning like a little kid on Christmas. Gabriella's eyes immediately shut as they become hot. She could feel tears burning to come through, but she holds them back the best she could. Her eyes open again to sparkle as Troy's face falls. "What's wrong?" Troy says immediately knowing that something wasn't right.

"Nothing…" Gabriella responds while putting a finger up to her eye. "Nothing something flew into my eye." She lies as she pretends to blink it out, even though they were really tears instead. "Uh… that's great Troy." She says while pretending to blink again and gives him a watery smile. "Congratulations."

Troy gives her a small smile while takes another lick of his ice cream cone. "She hasn't said yes yet." He says while he takes another bite, Gabriella noticing he was almost done already while she was just biting into her own cone, which suddenly turned to flavorless mush. "But thanks. I'm hoping."

Gabriella gives him another small smile as she watches him finish up the ice cream. She stares at the cone in her hand that now made her want to throw it back up, but she knew she couldn't do that. Even though her stomach felt heavy and completely full, she would stay strong. "You done?" She asks in a small voice as she starts to get up from the booth that they were sitting in and looks to Troy's confused face. "We should get going if you have to get ready."

Troy shakes his head. "She's not coming over til 6:30. And you're not done yet." He says pointing to the half eaten cone as Gabriella takes one more bite and finally stands up.

"Well… I'm going over to Cody's party tonight, and I'm done with this." Troy gives her a look that almost orders her to sit back down. "It was good; I swear it was just enough though."

Troy sighs and stands up while Gabriella throws the almost eaten cone into the garbage can. She couldn't look at him right now, because she was pretty sure she'd start breaking out into tears if she did. So she leads him outside and over to the car. He unlocks the door and Gabriella hops inside, looking away from him. He starts the truck and pulls out from the ice cream parlor. "Gab… come on talk to me. Do you not like her?" He asks while she could see in the corner of her eye that Troy was glancing at her. Gabriella continues to stare out the window.

"No… why would you think that?" She asks while trying to keep her voice steady as he drove into the neighborhoods again.

"Because you started acting weird when I said I was gonna ask her." He says and she could see him glance at her again. "And you immediately stopped eating. Gabriella, I've seen you at your worst and whenever something's bothering you, it's harder for you to eat." He says while Gabriella could feel the tears building up in her eyes thinking about him forcing her to eat when she was first diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa. "Come on be honest with me. I can't date someone who my best friend doesn't like."

That was it. All Gabriella had to do was tell him that she didn't like Olivia and he would leave her alone. Even though she did like her, Gabriella had to the hugest temptation just to tell him she didn't. It would be as easy as that and she could have him all to herself. But as Troy pulls up into the Montez's driveway, she could see the look in his eye. He was happy with Olivia, and if she said that she didn't like her, he wouldn't ask her, and then he wouldn't be happy. And that's all Gabriella wanted him to be, was happy. She finally faces him to see that he had concern written across his face. "I do like her Troy. Ok? I do." She says in a small voice and unbuckles her seatbelt. "Good luck." She says as she opens the door and immediately slams it shut. She starts jogging to the front door when she hears another door slam and then feels two arms grab her and pull her to his stomach in a backwards hug, making sure she didn't go anywhere.

"Then what's going on?" He whispers into her ear as she grabs his arms that were around her waist and holds them there for a moment. Sparks were shooting through her body at the feeling of being this close to him. But he turns her around in his arms so that he head was resting on his shoulder. She could feel the tears wouldn't stop now as she finds her favorite spot in the crook of his neck. There was no way she could tell him, absolutely no way, so she comes up with something that was partially true, but not the reason she had tears in her eyes.

"It's stupid." She says as she feels his hand come up and rest on the back of her head. "And selfish." She says while still snuggling further into his arms. "But you're gonna have her… and you won't need me anymore."

She could imagine Troy closing his eyes at this comment. He brings her around so he was looking at her in the eyes as he wipes the stray tears that were falling down her face. "Hey… don't ever say that ok?" He says as he wipes another tear with the pad of his thumb. "I'll always need you. You're my best friend remember?" He says while she nods slightly. A small smile forms on his face as he brings her to him again, resting his chin on top of hers. "No one's gonna replace you. You're like my other half. My past girlfriends haven't, and Olivia's no exception." Gabriella's head snuggles further into the crook of his neck as she grips him tightly, knowing that this might be the last time she would hug him as a single guy.

Gabriella nods as she finally lets go of his neck and wipes her eyes. She looks up into his piercing blue, trying to be happy for him, but finding herself unsuccessful. "Good luck ok?" She says as he gives her a small smile. A burning sensation forms as she feels his soft lips connect with her forehead. As he lets go, the burning was still there as she gives him a soft smile. "Sweep her off her feet." She says while turning away from Troy and walking towards the door. She stops right before opening it and turns around to see Troy standing in the exact position she left him in. They make eye contact for another minute, before Gabriella opens the front door and walks inside. She shuts it and leans her back up against it, sliding down to the floor in the process with the tears spilling down her cheeks.


	6. When Doves Cry

Troy's hands were sweating like he had just gotten done running suicides for his father during basketball practice, right after running a mile. This didn't help matters at all, since her hand was linked with his on the couch. He was trying to hold back his knee from shaking violently and looking like more of an idiot then he already did. His hair seemed to lay too flat on his head, and maybe he should have lifted weights before he took Gabriella to the psychiatrist, so maybe he'd look a little more muscular. To him, he looked like a complete idiot, but to everyone else, he just looked nervous.

He was sitting on his couch in the living room with his arm around Olivia's shoulders, staring at the movie but not really paying attention. Her right hand was laced with the one that was around her shoulder and she was resting her head onto his chest. He felt like he couldn't breathe. There was no way she would say yes to him. She was smart, sexy, and unbelievably gorgeous. Why would she want to date someone like Troy?

"Hey, are you ok? You seem quiet." She asks while resting her hand on his knee. Troy couldn't help but wish her hand would move closer towards the inside of his thigh, and centered, but he was trying his hardest not to get horny right now. He had to focus on the task at hand, asking her out.

"What? Yeah, yeah, I'm great." He lies while swallowing the lump of saliva that seemed to form in the back of his throat. 'Calm down Bolton, it's just another girl' He thinks to himself, trying to make himself seem more collected then what he was right now, but it was not working at all. 'Just think of her as someone easier to talk to. Pretend she's Gabi.'

But that was a complete mistake. His stomach flips even more at that thought, but he was too nervous to realize that actually might mean something. There was no way he was going to be able to ask her at this rate. Why was he so nervous? "So how come you didn't want to go to Cody's party?" She asks while Troy's eyes widen a little. Oh no, did she want to be there more then she did here? Was she uncomfortable with the fact that Troy's parents were out and they were home alone?

Troy nervously scratches the back of his neck. "Uh… I just felt like staying in… but if you wanna go there instead, I can take you…"

"No, no, no!" She says while Troy sighs in relief. "This is nice, really nice. I just thought you were more of a party hard type of guy." She says while Troy looks down into her chocolate brown eyes and suddenly realized how much lighter they were then Gabriella's. They were gorgeous, but Troy knew that nothing would compare to Gabriella's eyes. Wait, why the hell was he thinking about Gabriella right on the brink of asking Olivia out?

"Yeah? Well the there's more to me then meets the eye." He says while wiggling his eyebrows as Olivia's sweet laugh escapes her perfect lips that he so badly wanted to kiss. "And I didn't want to go through a flashback of the disaster last weekend."

"Smooth Bolton." She says while cuddling further into his shoulder, sending sparks flying throughout Troy's body. "And last weekend was fun, even though we did almost get caught by the cops and I'm pretty sure you have grass burns until the end of the century, but other then that it was amazing."

Troy laughs a little while suddenly remembering dragging Gabriella out of the party and hanging onto her for dear life while running away from the cops. Why the hell did everything suddenly revert back to Gabriella? Oh yea, because she was his best friend. "Yeah, sorry about that again." He says while scratching the back of his head again nervously.

Olivia smiles her prefect smile back up at him and shrugs her shoulders. "Oh well, it happens, there's nothing you can do about it."

He smiles down at her as she suddenly turns her attention back to the movie playing on his large TV. This was it, it was now or never. He had to do it now, or he was pretty sure he wouldn't pucker up the courage to do it later. So he takes a deep breath and faces her. "Actually, there's something I gotta ask you."

Olivia's eyes look up from the TV and she looks into his piercing blue that probably looked scared out of his mind. She wouldn't say yes, there was no possible way she would say yes to this. She was way out of his league, even though he was the most popular guy in school, there was absolutely no way she would say yes to him. "Um… alright? You're not gonna kill me or anything like that right?"

Troy chuckles nervously as he suddenly takes his arm away from her shoulders and looks down at her hands. He grabs them and shakes his head. "No… I'm not gonna kill you." He says as she giggles a little. It sort of sounded like the way Gabriella giggled. 'Stop it Bolton! Focus.' His mind yells as he looks into her brown eyes again.

"Good… cuz I kinda wanna make it past my first semester at East High." She says while Troy smiles at her.

"No… it's something else." He says while smiling at her. "I know we've only known each other for like a month." He says, not exactly sure but around that. "But it's been awesome hanging out with you. So, I was wondering…" He says while removing his hands from hers and pulling off the red ring on his right ring finger and holds it up. Olivia's eyes grow wide with excitement as he smiles at her. His eyes never leave hers but he suddenly gets an image of last year when he first got it, how much bigger it was on Gabriella's ring finger when she tried it on just for fun. Why the hell would he just think about Gabriella? "Do you wanna be my girlfriend? Officially?"

Olivia's mouth breaks out into a smile as she nods and throws her arms around Troy, crushing his own into his chest. She giggles a little as she pulls him closer and his mouth smiles. "Yes! Of course!" She says as his heart suddenly soars. Did she just say yes? She just said yes!

She finally pulls away from him and giggles as she grabs the ring that was still in his hand and places it on her middle finger, right hand, since it was the biggest. It slides around, obviously way to big for her little finger and Troy suddenly could see her hand turn a dark olive color as he slips back one year…

"_It's huge!" Troy exclaims as he grabs Gabriella's boney wrist and holds it up. She smiles a little, with the bones in her cheeks just peeking through her skin as she giggles as the gold ring slides up and down her extremely long and thin fingers._

"_It kinda fits." Gabriella says while Troy laughs and rolls his eyes, while everyone at their lunch table rolls their eyes at the sight of the two._

"_Gabs, you're drowning in that thing." Chad exclaims while he takes a bite of his sandwich while sitting next to Troy._

_The piercing blue eyes smile down at the petite girl that seemed to be getting smaller everyday, but Troy had just thought maybe it was because she had told him she was helping her mom out at home since her mother was working constantly lately. She probably just wasn't getting the home-cooked meals she should be, and probably didn't have time to eat as much, so he tried not to worry about it. "I think it looks good." Troy says while holding her arm up to him further as she beams back at him._

"_Troy, Gabriella could put a tomato on and you would say it looks good on her." Sharpay says while brushing her hair, staring into a mirror._

_Troy smirks as Gabriella's face falls a little. "That's cuz everything looks good on her."_

_Gabriella's face completely falls as she shakes her head and takes the ring off her finger. "Stop making things up Troy." She says defensively and places the ring back in his hand. "Lying isn't gonna make things better."_

_Troy raises his eyebrows at her as he shakes his head. "I'm not lying to you." He informs her as he rests a hand on her shoulder that was feeling harder then what it did a couple days ago. "Chill alright?"_

_Gabriella sighs as she opens her brown paper bag and pulls out an apple. Troy doesn't even notice that it was the only thing inside the bag. "It looks best on you anyways."_

He shakes his head again, the dark olive finger turning back to a lighter color as he feels himself fall back into the present. His eyes look up to Olivia and could see the joy in her face that makes him smile. He had to try to block out the memory. Right now, it was all for Olivia, he couldn't think about Gabriella, not yet at least. Olivia giggles a little as the ring slides around on her hand. "I'll put it on a chain." She says while Troy smirks and nods.

"Sounds good to me." He says while replacing his arm around her shoulders as she giggles, looking down at the ring again.

After a good twenty minutes, she gets up and Troy looks at her with a confused look on his face. "I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back." She says while Troy smiles and nods as his new girlfriend walks away. Immediately after she leaves the room, Troy whips out his phone and starts typing letters furiously. He just manages to put the phone away before Olivia returns, with a smile on her face that didn't seem like it would ever be able to be wiped away.

* * *

Gabriella's mouth was straight. She couldn't bring herself to enjoy this party, at all. All she could think about was the image of Olivia wrapping her arms around Troy, giggling while she probably said yes. The image of Troy kissing her right before she left his house. Gabriella fought the urge to regurgitate at the thought of him pressing his sweet, warm lips against anyone's other than hers. "Come on Gabs, cheer up!" Chad says while nudging his shoulder against hers on the couch. She was sitting next to him, with Taylor on his other side and a beer can in his hand. They were at Cody's party, which wasn't a dance party but Gabriella would have normally found it fun if her best friend were here with her to get wasted with. But instead he was giving his heart away probably at this very moment.

"Sorry." Gabriella mumbles. Chad nor Taylor were drunk, although Gabriella knew that Chad was probably going to be there by the end of the night because most of the rest of the guys were drunk.

"Look at the bright side Gab…" Taylor says as she looks in front of her boyfriend and makes eye contact with her best girl friend. "She may not even say yes."

Gabriella gives her a look that could have killed someone. "Taylor, you know she's gonna say yes. It's Troy damn it!" She says while sighing and running a hand through her dark hair. Her hand grabs the yellow rubber band and begins to play with it in her hands, no longer snapping it against her skin.

"Are you talking about Troy boy?" A voice enters her ears as Gabriella looks up to see Sharpay was hanging onto Zeke for her dear life. She was completely smashed, but that was nothing new. "When is he gonna dump Little Miss Perfect?" She asks while Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"Sharpay!" Taylor scolds. "She's nice and you know it."

Sharpay rolls her eyes and points her finger out, but manages to make her hand fall loosely instead. "You know… I'm just trying to be a good friend here and you're ruining it." She slurs out and looks at Gabriella. "You would just look so much cuter with him." She says while Gabriella finds the first small smile on her face all night.

"Thanks Shar." She says while continuing to play with the rubber band.

"Here, have a cookie to make you feel better." Sharpay says while giggling and grabbing a cookie that was on the coffee table. Gabriella looks at it like it was the devil and shakes her head, knowing that her being upset right now and to her, eating food was probably the worst possible combination in the world.

Only three people besides her parents and Dr. Wilson knew she was recovering from Anorexia, and two of them were sitting on the couch with her while the other was probably kissing Olivia somewhere. Sharpay had no idea, since she was so oblivious to everything that she never found out, although she knew that Gabriella had gone on a diet. But as for everyone else, she didn't want anyone else to know. Sure, the school had thought it was strange when she started loosing weight rapidly, but she could always use the excuse that she was running more and her mother was working constantly, which at the time she was, so she had to help around the house which cut into her meal time.

She suddenly feels another body plop next to her as she sees the brown spiked hair and smiles. Cody grins at her back as he takes another swig of his bottle of beer and nods at Chad in a greeting, doing the guy handshakes thing in the process. "So how's my favorite junior?" He asks while wrapping his arm around Gabriella friendly. For the first time all night, Gabriella actually smiles at the gesture and shrugs.

"Alright." She says while he takes another sip of beer. He was obviously getting drunk, if he wasn't tipsy already.

"Hey! Gabs!" Someone announces as he sits on the arm of the couch next to Cody. He had black hair with somewhat pale skin that worked for him and light green eyes. Gabriella knew that he was on the football team as well as Cody.

"Hey Jeff." She greets the senior who was looking at her up and down and folds her arms across her stomach, even though she was only wearing a t-shirt that was red and had "Wildcat's Basketball" written across it since she bought a small one from Troy during basketball season last year.

"I haven't see ya much this year." He says while taking a sip from a cup that Gabriella was sure was filled with alcohol. "We need to hang out sometime."

Gabriella smiles halfway and then nods a little. "Yeah… sometime." She says while grinning at him and suddenly feels the back of her pants start to vibrate. Her stomach suddenly flips in fear as the yells that were echoing in the basement were drawn from the world and the only thing Gabriella could hear was the music's beat. She turns and holds her phone out, looking at Chad in the process with wide eyes.

"It's him isn't it?" Chad says while Gabriella nods slowly and flips the phone open, revealing that she had one new text message. She glances at Chad one more time, praying that maybe Olivia said no by some miracle. She presses the "ok" button and looks down, holding her breath.

_She said yes! :_

Gabriella could feel her heart suddenly shatter into a million little pieces. She could feel her throat close up as a tear started to form in her eye, but she blinks it away, trying to be as strong as humanly possible. Her hands were shaking as she looks up at Chad and Taylor who had curious looks on their faces. Sharpay now had her lips pressed against Zeke while Cody and Jeff were laughing about something, not noticing the girl who was sitting next to them dying inside. "Ummm…" Gabriella says slowly, trying to swallow the lump that had formed but found it impossible. "Olivia said yes." She says in a voice that felt distant from her own.

Taylor closes her eyes and sighs, putting a hand on Gabriella's. Chad grabs her shoulder and pulls her to him in a half hug. "I'm sorry Gab." He says as he kisses the top of her head softly, in a way that reminded Gabriella extremely of Troy. She could feel no tears slipping down her face, but she felt like her heart had just broken into a million pieces.

"Sweetie, it's gonna be ok." Taylor says while rubbing Gabriella's hand. She gives a watery smile to her two friends and sighs as all she could think about was the pain that was erupting inside her chest.

"It's not… but thanks." Gabriella says while lifting her head up, still holding her phone and sighs. She suddenly feels a hand on the one that was holding her phone and turns to see Cody squinting at the screen.

"She said yes? As in Olivia? Bolton's no longer single?" He asks loudly while Gabriella nods slowly. This gets the attention of Sharpay, Zeke and Jeff.

"He's not?!" Zeke and Sharpay exclaim at the same time.

"Bolton's hooked?" Jeff asks out loud but then a smile forms on his face. A couple of football player walk by as Jeff pats one of them on the arm. "Dude! Bolton got Walker!"

The football players all look shocked for a moment, then the smiles grow on their faces as they all seem to turn to Gabriella, looking her up and down. They turn to a group of girls who were walking by and smirk. "Bolton's no longer single!"

"What?!" The girls exclaim in surprise, and somewhat jealousy. Gabriella watches as the scene unfolds. Her eyes were wide as she looks at Chad and Taylor who were all watching as the news was suddenly spreading like wildfire. Gabriella was helpless as it seemed all the guys that were at the party suddenly turned their attention to Gabriella who was sitting on the couch, suddenly not able to handle everyone staring at her.

"Is it true?" A girl runs up and asks Gabriella.

"Is he really dating Olivia?"

"When did it happen?"

"Oh my god!"

Gabriella could feel her hands working the rubber band to no end as it seemed half the party was staring at her, or asking her questions, or whispering behind their hands. She looks around the room, feeling the blood rush to her face as she tries to sink into the pillows and disappear. The guys all seemed to be taking steps forward, looking at her up and down like she was a prize that Troy just gave up. "Chad!" Gabriella exclaims while turning to him who was looking around. She couldn't take this anymore.

Her feet suddenly make her stand up as she turns the corner and rushes towards the bathroom. She could feel the lump in her throat was still closed as she slams the door shut and hears the faint sound of the party going on outside the door. "BOLTON'S WITH WALKER!" She could hear a drawn out scream from a drunken person outside the door while her hands grip the sides of the white sink and she takes deep breaths. Her eyes finally cloud over with the tears that had threatened to fall earlier. She couldn't take the staring; it was way too much for her.

Her eyes look up through tearstains as she looks at her reflection. It was hideous. Her face seemed to swell up to the size of a balloon. Her neck grew about three chins in the past three minutes as she could see her small, beady eyes through her fat face. Her hand lifts up and touches the sumo wrestler that was staring back at her. 'Stop this Gabriella!' The rational part of her screams. Her hand grabs the yellow rubber band and violently starts snapping. She couldn't think this way. So much work and it would go down the drain. But she couldn't stop. She looked hideous, fat, disgusting. She needed to fix that. She needed to get out of her skin and into someone else's. Her eyes glance down to the porcelain object standing near the floor. It would be so easy. She could fix this. All she had to do was stick her two fingers down her throat and watch as the magic came up and landed in the toilet. It would be so simple.

What she needed now was Troy to stop her.

"Gabriella!" She hears someone yell as the door opens. Gabriella feels two arms encircle her as she continues to stare at the toilet on the ground, finding it tempting. But the temptation dies as soon as she rips her eyes away and feels Taylor pull her closer. She looks over her shoulder to see that Chad walks in the room while closing the door in the process, drowning out the party sounds behind them that seemed like they were now in full swing. "God I was worried."

Gabriella nods as she suddenly realizes how stupid it would have been to purge. It wouldn't have helped anything, and she had gotten so far without doing it, she wasn't going to blow it. She would have let everyone down if she would have done it. Taylor, Chad, her parents, and mostly Troy. "I just couldn't take everyone staring." She says honestly as Taylor nods again.

"I would have done the same thing." Taylor informs her reassuringly, proving that Gabriella was somewhat normal deep down.

"You gonna be alright?" Chad asks while Gabriella pulls away from Taylor and looks back in the mirror. Her face had returned back to the size she was used to seeing, no longer the size of a balloon. She wipes her eyes and nods.

"Yeah… I'm gonna be fine." She says, trying to be confident about this, since it was the only thing she could be. "I just couldn't take everyone staring."

Chad nods and leans against the sink with is arms crossed, reminding Gabriella of something Troy would do. "You're gonna have to get used to it." He says. "Nothing's stopping the guys now. You're all theirs."

Gabriella nods slowly again, understanding what she and Cody talked about earlier this week. "I know. I'm not Troy's number one anymore. He won't beat the shit out of them anymore."

Chad sighs and shakes his head. "You're still Troy's number one. So don't think like that. You always will be." He says while Gabriella gives him a small smile, not believing him even though he was right. "They're just not threatened by Troy anymore. Are you gonna be ok with it?"

She sighs and looks between her two friends. "I guess I don't have a choice do I?" She asks as Chad smiles softly as Taylor shakes her head.

"Look at the bright side; girls would kill to be you." She says while Gabriella smiles a little, knowing that she was probably right but she just couldn't admit that to herself yet. "You have guys drooling over you… what more can you want?"

"Hey!" Chad exclaims while Taylor rolls her eyes and kisses his cheek.

"Don't worry Chad… she still loves you." Gabriella says while wiping her tears and finally feeling better for the first time all night.

"Well good." He says while putting his arm around Taylor, then one around Gabriella. "Let's get out of the shit room." He says while Gabriella giggles a little as Taylor opens the door to reveal the party was back into it's full swing. Everyone was too drunk to think it was weird that the three friends walked out together, but Gabriella wouldn't have it any other way. She was so thankful to have those two by her side, giving her more confidence that she could get through this.

"Montez, come on, I haven't seen you all night. Come here." One of the guys from the football team says while putting his arm around Gabriella and pulls her away from Chad. Gabriella at first feels uncomfortable, but then looks back at her two friends who had concerned written across their faces, showing Gabriella that they had her back no matter what.

"Here we go." Taylor whispers under her breath as three more guys, along with two other girls approach Gabriella.

* * *

**A/N: I know a lot of people are probably going to hate me after this chapter, but hey it's part of the story. Thanks so much for reading and your reviews, you guys are amazing!**


	7. Burning Heart

**A/N: This chapter really isn't that exciting, but I still like it. The idea for the flashback came from a book I had to read called The Pact. Most of the words are mine, but the idea is from the book. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**

"_I got it!" His voice exclaims as Gabriella turns around to watch the ten year old walk into his own bedroom with his smile revealing the gap in between his teeth. Her eyes grow wide in shock as he throws the magazine down onto his bed and jumps on it after. She was locked on the book in front of her as his small eyebrows rise. "Are you gonna come look at it? It was your dare." He says with amusement in his voice as Gabriella slowly stands up from his floor._

"_I… uh… I told you to go get it; I never said anything about looking at it." She explains as Troy rolls his eyes and holds up the magazine so the cover was facing her. Gabriella's cheeks burn red staring at the picture, feeling dirty for even looking at the magazine and knowing that if her mother ever saw that she looked at something like that, she would murder her alive. "Go put I back and we can play truth or dare some more. It's your call." _

_Troy rolls his eyes again. "I didn't go under my parents bed for nothing. Come on, just a peak." The ten year-old coxes as Gabriella slowly walks over to his bed, knowing that she was going to loose this argument anyways. Her eyes look down on the front cover slowly, with the both red letters written across the to and the black background, while the picture of a man and a woman's lips almost breathing each other in stares back at her._

"_Troy… what if your parents come home from the store? I know your dad said they'd be awhile, but come on…" She says, still trying to cox him but finding it extremely hard while the cover of the magazine stares up at her. "Why would you want to look at that anyways? It's like human growth and development and you said that unit makes you sick."_

_Troy rolls his eyes again as he sets the magazine in his lap. "It's not the same. I really don't need diagrams of something I already have." He says even though Gabriella was pretty sure he just barely scratched the surface of puberty. What did he know about sex anyways? All Gabriella knew is that a man and a woman got into a bed naked and they'd have a baby. The rest, she wasn't so sure about. "Come on!"_

_Gabriella sits down on the bed and pulls her feet up from the edge, looking at the book like it was going to bite her, which judging from the picture on the top, it might have. "Ok… but if I gets too weird, I'm not looking." She says timidly as Troy beams at her with his gapped teeth._

"_Deal." He says while taking a deep breath and opening up the pages. Gabriella eyes immediately look down to find drawings of what looked like men, who were shown by a blue shaped man and women in pink in strange positions, pushed up against each other. There were also photographs of men and woman, kissing, although Gabriella couldn't see anything too private because the man's back blocked the woman or other body parts were blocking their lower halves. "Whoa." Troy lets out while looking at the page. "It's like gymnastics."_

_Gabriella rolls her eyes as he turns the page to reveal more positions and photos. "That would hurt!" She exclaims while pointing to one where the drawing of the guy was pinning the girl down while she was laying face down._

"_Big deal, I've pinned you a million times." He says while turning the page again. "Why would you wanna do this anyways? It looks uncomfortable."_

_Gabriella sighs as he flips the page again that was labeled, 'Showing How Much You Love Them' on the top. "Maybe it's different when you love someone." She says while cranking one of her eyebrows, knowing that if that was how you were going to show someone, she wanted not part in it. It looked uncomfortable, why would you want to do something that hurt?_

"_It's not even worth bragging to Chad that I looked at this." He says while flipping a page again and looking at it sideways. Gabriella looks over his arm to see that it was a picture, finally, of people with clothes on, but they had their lips pressed up against each other and their arms were wrapped around the other's body. "I wonder what that feels like."_

_Gabriella raises her eyebrows. "What?"_

_Troy shrugs. "Kissing." He says as Gabriella face suddenly blushes. "You wanna try it?"_

_She could feel her face get hot as her cheeks turn read. "Troy, I'm not doing any of that stuff! That's just gross…" She says while Troy rolls his eyes and closes the magazine._

"_Not that. Kissing." He says while Gabriella could feel her face get hot again. It was something that they were still too young to do, since they were only ten, but the few girls in her class who had already started wearing bras had done it once. Other then that, it was a topic that only the lucky got to experience. "I just wanna know what it feels like."_

_Gabriella blushes and looks away again. "I don't know Troy." She says, imagining her first kiss being like a fairy tale, like Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty. With a handsome "prince" who swept her off her feet that she was in love with. Not have it be her first time with her best friend in his bedroom because he wanted to know what it felt like. But then again, the girls would be so jealous that she actually kissed a boy._

"_Come on." He coxes as Gabriella takes a deep breath and sighs._

"_Fine." She says and suddenly feels her hands get slightly sweaty. She looks at him to see he was staring back at her, his head tilted a little. "Don't look at me like that!" She exclaims as Troy sighs and turns to face her head on._

"_Ok…" He says and takes a deep breath. His hands come up in the air as Gabriella watches as he looks down at them confused. "Am I supposed to touch you?" He asks as Gabriella looks at him and suddenly realizes, she has no idea how to do this. Her mind tries to think back onto movies that she had seen, or her parents sneaking kisses once in awhile, but she couldn't remember anything._

"_I don't know." She whispers while biting her bottom lip. Maybe this was a good idea. Then she would at least get experience for the first time it really mattered._

_Troy finally takes a deep breath and puts his hands down. "Ok…" He says again as if trying to coach himself through this like it was one of his basketball games. He takes a deep breath and Gabriella watches as his eyes close. Was that he cue to do it as well? She took that as a yes, because then she closes her own eyes and waits._

_She suddenly feels something warm and soft against her lips. Is this what it felt like? Her lips tingled a little as almost as quickly as it happened, he pulls back and Gabriella opens her eyes. His own piercing blue open and Gabriella suddenly looks at him differently. He wasn't the same scrawny kid that she had known since she was three. His face was starting to become longer and his hair wasn't as stringy as she remembered it. Troy narrows his eyes. "That was werid." He says while Gabriella places two fingers up to the lips that Troy's just occupied a moment ago._

"_Yea… weird…" She says distantly as her eyes look back up and lock on the piercing blue. But the moment goes away as she shakes her head and forgets the sensation, remembering that she was sitting with her best friend at that moment, not knowing years later she would have given anything for that kiss again._

* * *

Gabriella sighs as she shuts her locker and walks up to the dark girl's locker. Her black East High sweatshirt was hanging on her small figure as well as her white sweat pants that could be scrunched up to the knee. She had unconsciously pulled out clothes that would cover her up a lot today, since she knew deep down that everyone was going to be staring at her. It was Monday, the first day that Troy would be showing up as no longer a single guy. From the looks of the rest of the party, it seemed that every guy was going to be coming up and trying to flirt with Gabriella today. But she was prepared for it. She knew it was coming, and there was absolutely no way in stopping it, so why should she try to?

"Those pants look great on you." Taylor says honestly while Gabriella sighs and leans her head up against the locker behind her. She hadn't talked to or seen Troy since he took her to Dr. Wilson's on Saturday, nor did she have any desire to. It was going to be so hard to look at. The joy in his face, the glow of Olivia's, everything. Her face felt pale and drained compared to normal as she tried to give Taylor a small smile.

"Thanks Tay." She says while stretching the black rubber band that was on her wrist with her fingers. Her deep brown eyes suddenly look over to see two guys walking past the lockers. Gabriella could feel her arm wrap around her books that were against her chest tighter as she sees one of the seniors, of course Jeff, winks at her while Cody gives her a small wave. A sigh erupts from her throat as she watching two girls walk down the other direction, both whispering something then looking at Gabriella with sympathy. It was going to be a long day.

"So how are you feeling?" She asks, even though Taylor had called her yesterday to see if she was ok, aka, wanting to make sure she wasn't purging whatever went into her small mouth. Gabriella shrugs while looking at the ground and pulling the books that were in front of her closer to her body if that was even possible. Her hand stops snapping as she crosses it over her other and looks up at her best girl friend.

"Alright. I mean, it's not like Troy hasn't had girlfriends before." She says, even though she knew this was completely different. Olivia wasn't just some girl he had decided he wanted to date because he was horny or because he thought she was hot, or just nice. This was the real deal. Troy liked her, a lot. It was more then Gabriella had ever seen from him before. She was petrified that this perfect girl would take away her best friend, for good.

Almost as if on cue, Gabriella's head glances down the hallway and feels her small weak smile completely fall off her face. The girl's face was glowing. Her perfect smile seemed impossible to wipe off. Gabriella swore she looked like she had lost ten pounds over night. Her hair seemed shiner, her teeth were whiter and her cheeks burst with a gorgeous red glow that would never be wiped off. Gabriella could feel her face get hot as her eyes started to burn slightly, but she wouldn't give into the temptation. There was absolutely no way that she was going to let herself break down. "Try to smile." She hears Taylor whisper in the corner of her mouth while Olivia smiles at her cousin one more time, before turning her eyes onto the two girls who were standing at Taylor's locker.

Her perfect figure walks over with the bright smile on her face that made Gabriella's fake one fall even further. "Hey!" She says in an excited tone as Taylor turns away from her locker and pretends that she was seeing Olivia for the first time that morning.

"Hey Liv!" Taylor says with a smile that Gabriella couldn't tell if it was genuine or just trying to be nice. Gabriella could feel her heart break as Olivia changes the hand she was holding her folders in with color radiating from her cheeks. "Err… good weekend?" She asks while Gabriella almost looks at Taylor like she's stupid. Of course she had a good weekend!

"Yeah! It was amazing." She says with a small giggle. Gabriella's eyes were suddenly glued to the girl's neck. As she moved back and forth, something was glowing from a chain while the light hit it perfectly. Gabriella could feel her eyes get hot again as she realized it used to lie on the finger of a perfect basketball player. Troy's class ring.

But she suddenly feels someone hit her back as she shakes her head, trying to bring herself out of the trance she had been put into. Her eyes look up to see that Taylor was staring at her. "Sorry… I zoned out…" She says while trying not to look at the ring that was around Olivia's neck.

"Come on Montez, take off the sweatshirt!" She hears someone yell as her eyes look up to find that four junior guys were walking by their lockers while looking Gabriella up and down. She could feel her hands close tighter as the staring and shakes her head, looking back at Olivia with pained eyes.

"So… congratulations." Gabriella says in a small voice while nodding to the ring that was lying on her chest, glowing as though Troy's heart was inside the red stone. A blush erupts on Olivia's cheeks as she subconsciously grabs the ring around her neck and begins to play with it in her hands. Gabriella does her best not to rip the ring away from her, as she fingers it slowly.

"Thanks Gabs." She says while Gabriella puts on the best fake smile she could muster. She giggles a little again and blushes. "I was really happy when he asked me."

"I bet." Gabriella says in a voice that she tried her hardest not to sound like a total bitch, but figures she did since Taylor gives her a nasty glare. But suddenly, all that was wiped away as her heart suddenly splits in half. She watches as if almost in slow motion, a figure appears and grabs the small girl by the waist in front of her. Gabriella watches as Olivia giggles her laugh while she could hear the perfect voice chuckle in front of her as Olivia turns around in his arms. But the split heart suddenly shatters into a million pieces as she watches his warm, soft lips connect with Olivia's rosy, glowing cheeks.

"Hey you." She could hear Troy's voice say as Olivia giggles again. He pulls her into a tight hug as Olivia's head slips into the perfect spot on the crook of his neck. Anger suddenly rushes through her veins. That was her spot! She didn't care how nice Olivia was, no one, and she meant no one took Gabriella's spot in his neck. Her eyes suddenly look back and forth for a way out of this situation as she doesn't even notice Chad had slipped his arm around Taylor and they were both looking at her with concern.

"Ummm…" She says while locking her eyes on a familiar blonde who was at her own locker. "I'll meet you over at Shar's." She says while resisting the temptation to throw up the breakfast she had eaten this morning by not looking at Troy or Olivia as she ran towards Sharpay. The blonde's eyes look up as she smiles at Gabriella, who just stops in front of her locker.

"Isn't today fabulous?" Sharpay asks while Gabriella shakes her head and leans it against the locker beside her. "What's with the frown?"

"I had to get out of there." She says while Sharpay looks over Gabriella's shoulder and a glare forms on her face as she sees probably Troy and Olivia still holding each other.

"Uh… that makes me want to throw up." Sharpay says with an eye roll and for a split second, Gabriella doesn't think that's a bad idea. But Sharpay shakes her head again as she grabs her silver sparkling purse and throws it over her shoulder. "You're hotter anyways." She says while Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"You have to say that, your one of my best friends." She says while Sharpay rolls her eyes. But before she could respond, a dark boy walks up behind her and places a light kiss on her cheek.

"Hey sweetie." She says while looking her boyfriend up and down for a moment. "And you know I don't lie… well, in these circumstances." She says and Gabriella suddenly looks over her shoulder to see a guy holding up his hand like a phone, as if to say 'Call me'. Sharpay looks over her shoulder and smirks while then looking back at Gabriella. She tugs on the pocket of Gabriella's black sweatshirt and looks her up and down. "But if you want the best results, loose the sweatshirt." She says while Gabriella rolls her eyes slightly, knowing that more damage would be done if she did.

"Well I think it looks hot on her." She hears a voice come from behind her as her body suddenly tenses up. She looks up to see Sharpay was rolling her eyes while turning back to her boyfriend. Gabriella could feel shivers roll down her spine as she could almost count the number of steps until he would stop behind her. This was it. She closes her eyes, not wanting to face what was behind her for the world.

But her body finally turns around and she plasters on a grin that almost looked too big for her face. Standing there was a grinning Troy, in a green polo with jeans on that seemed to look perfect on his skin. His face seemed tanner, his hair more perfect, and his body seemed more muscular. It was almost as though this taken Troy seemed so much hotter then the single one, since it was something that she couldn't have now. But what didn't seem as perfect as before were his eyes. They were still a brilliant drowning blue, but in a way they had almost lost their perfection. Maybe it was just because they no longer just looked at her. He had his arm draped around beaming Olivia, with their hands connected where he had his arm around her. She could feel her heart break open once again just staring at the two. It seemed that the feeling would never go away. She doesn't even notice Chad, Taylor, Kelsi or Jason walk up with them. "Yeah, Gabriella that sweatshirt is adorable." Olivia agrees with her boyfriend and Gabriella tries not to give her a weird look. It was just a simple sweatshirt, but she was probably just trying to get on her boyfriend's best friend's good side.

"Uh… thanks." Gabriella says in a small voice. Her eyes look up and lock with Troy's. It was the first thing she had said to him now as a taken man, and it was tearing her up inside. She barely even notices the swarm of senior girls who pass the gang and begin whispering and pointing at the three who were all looking at each other at that moment. "Hey congrats by the way."

Olivia blushes again while she could see Troy flash his perfect smile. His arm subconsciously pulls Olivia closer to him, way to close for Gabriella's liking. "Thanks Gab." He says and then looks down at his girlfriend with a beam. Gabriella looks away, trying not to stare at them while looking out into the hallway to see the girls suddenly make eye contact with her and give Olivia jealous looks. She sighs as she watches the girls walk away and then looks back at the two. "Where were you yesterday? I called you like four times."

Gabriella could remember her cell phone going off three times yesterday, but she didn't answer any of his calls. She also could remember seeing his name flash on the caller ID on her home phone once, but she told her parents not to pick up. "Yeah, sorry I was busy." She says trying to make it sound like her life was a lot cooler then what it was now.

Suddenly, the bell rings in Gabriella's ears, saving her from talking to this happy couple even more. She immediately turns around and starts walking to homeroom, with Taylor and Chad running to catch up with her. She could feel Troy, Olivia, Sharpay, Zeke, Jason, and Kelsi on her heels, as Chad looks at her and whispers in the corner of his mouth, "That wasn't awkward or anything."

She sighs, knowing he was right and then sees Darbus' classroom. Before she could register what was going on, two hands grab her waist and pull her away from the door. She could feel herself being pulled away from the group as her eyes look up to see a pair of light green staring back at her. If she would have looked to the side, she would have seen Troy stop in mid-walk and narrow his eyes on the guy who had his best friend with his hand on her forearm. "Troy… come on we're gonna be late." Gabriella barely hears Olivia say with watching as Jeff gave a bright white smile at her.

"What's up Montez?" He asks while Gabriella looks up at him. He didn't have a creepy look on his face or anything, just a look of lust that would make any girl blush. She and Jeff were friends, and she knew he had considered asking her to prom last year, but was too afraid that Troy would hunt him down if he did.

Gabriella rolls her eyes but flashes him a small smile as he stares down at her. "Well… I was about to go to Darbus' class…" She says and shakes his head.

"I know you would so much rather get breakfast with me instead." He says while still smiling down at her flirtingly. Gabriella bites the bottom of her lip, thinking about this for a moment. She could just ditch with Jeff, and then she wouldn't have to worry about staring at the new couple in the front row, being hurt over and over again. It sounded so tempting right now. She wouldn't even have to eat anything, since she already had breakfast this morning. "There are waffles at the diner that have your name written all over them."

"But then Darbus would get pissed her favorite choir student wasn't in homeroom and would probably come after her." A voice that didn't belong to Jeff or Gabriella's says. Both of them look to the side and Gabriella feels her heart soar as she could see her best friend standing there, alone, with what looked like anger in his eyes. Gabriella rolls her own, seeing as she obviously didn't belong to him, so there was no reason to go all protective over her.

"Nah… I'd cover for her. Say I saw her throwing up in the hallway or something." At that phrase, Gabriella's eyes immediately shoot up to Troy's, whose perfect blue seemed to return to them now that he didn't have Olivia on his arm. They stare at each other for a moment, seeming to talk with their eyes at just the mention of that. "Come on Gab, what do you say?"

Gabriella looks between Jeff and Troy for a moment. She hears the bell ring in the distance, knowing that she was officially going to be late now. She had to choose between the two. Go with Jeff and not be hurt by Olivia and Troy, or go with her best friend. A decision suddenly flashes through her mind as she looks back at Jeff. "As tempting as it sounds, I should really get to homeroom."

Jeff sighs in defeat as Troy's eyes look up triumphantly. "Yeah… I'll just have to take you out to lunch sometime then." He says while glancing at Troy whose eyes were now casting a shadow at this new idea.

Gabriella bites her lower lip as she shrugs. "We'll work something out."

He smiles down at her and nods. "I'll see ya later." He says and then glances at Troy. "Later Bolton." Gabriella watches as he walks off in the opposite direction. A sigh escapes her lips as her heart flutters again while turning back to her best friend.

Troy had his arms crossed looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Since when has he come onto you?"

_Since you got a girlfriend_. She shrugs. "I don't know, we hung out at the party on Saturday. Since when are you my personal body guard?" She asks with a playful smile on her face while Troy rolls his eyes.

"Come on… so, how's your car broke down and I had to come pick you up excuse sound?" He asks while placing a friendly arm around her for the first time all day. She smiles a small smile, knowing that this was going to be hard, but she was gonna try to do the best she could.

"Sounds amazing." She says while glancing down the empty hallway again, knowing that no matter what, she would always choose Troy hands down. Even if he didn't choose her.


	8. Look Away

**A/N: I know a lot of people want me to tell them when the next chapters are going to be posted, but honestly I have no idea before hand, so I can't let you know. Right now I'm trying to do them every two days, but I'm really busy so it's getting harder to do, so I might not be posting as often. But anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! You guys are amazing!**

* * *

"I hate physics!" Troy yells while throwing his pencil angrily at the table and places his head in his hands. But he suddenly feels more calm when he feels two hands slide down his chest and he leans back to smell the sweet scent that was her hair. The brown locks drape over him as Olivia smiles a little and gives him a light kiss on the cheek before then removing her hands and sitting down in the chair next to him. "This is stupid. We're in school for what… three weeks and they're already trying to make us flunk out?"

"I hear you man." Chad says on the chair adjacent to him with Taylor rubbing his shoulders as he was rubbing his temples. "God, Cody was right, junior year is the hardest." He says while tapping his pencil lightly on the table with Taylor smiling down at him. Troy suddenly feels his own girlfriend's hand lace with his own as he sighs and looks down again.

A week had gone by since they first showed up at school as a couple, and Troy couldn't be happier then what he already was. Last week with her was amazing, along with the weekend where he took her to the second home football game and a party afterwards that didn't get busted by the cops. He then went over to her Aunt and Uncle's house, aka Julia's parents, on Saturday night and they just spent time together. He was ecstatic that he was able to spend all this time with Olivia, because she just made him extremely happy. He was now sitting at Chad's kitchen table since he had invited everyone over for a study session.

"It's not that hard…" Taylor tells Chad and looks down at the paper he was leaning over. Troy smiles a little, knowing that Taylor was in the honor's class while Chad was stuck in regular. "Come on… I'll help you…" She says while pointing to his paper and he turns back to his own girlfriend. "Hey Kels! Can you come here for a second?" Taylor calls while Troy turns around and watches the small girl who was sitting on the floor in the family room which was right next to the kitchen with only a fence in between stands up and walks over to the table. But Troy's eyes lock on the other girl who had barely talked to him at all today with her back faced to him.

"Where's Jason?" Olivia asks as Kelsi finishes showing Chad what to do and brings Troy out of his trance as he rips his eyes off of Gabriella's back which was hunched over looking at what looked like a physics book herself. Kelsi's eyes look up through her glasses at Troy's girlfriend while he could feel Olivia's hand give his own a small squeeze as Kelsi smiles a little.

"He's helping Zeke ask Sharpay to homecoming." She says while Troy's stomach drops at the thought of that topic. Chad's body seems to stiffen up as well since both of them hadn't asked their girlfriends yet and Troy was praying that Olivia wasn't looking for anything extremely extravagant, because he had nothing.

"Knowing Shar, he'll need all the help he can get." Taylor says while Troy could hear a sweet laugh come from behind him along with his own girlfriend's laugh. Troy glances around to see that Gabriella's back was moving up and down slightly, showing that she was giggling. Troy sighs a little. She had been a little more distant towards him, but he hadn't seemed to notice it that much since right now he was completely wrapped up with the girl who was holding his hand.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he inscribed a diamond and she still says it's not good enough." He hears the sweet voice behind him and watches as Gabriella head turns around slightly in her pink sweatshirt. Troy laughs along with everyone else and tries to make eye contact with her, but finds that she doesn't look over towards him.

"So… do you guys want to go shopping for dresses this weekend?" Kelsi asks as Chad rolls his eyes and looks up at the small girl.

"Of course Kelsi!" He says in a high pitched girl's voice that makes everyone laugh but Troy who puts his forehead into his hand and shakes his head. He glances at Chad who was staring back at him laughing.

"You are a girl." Troy says while Chad chucks a pencil at him, which Troy ducks and it hits the wall instead.

"No but really." Kelsi says after her giggles calm down and she takes a deep breath. "We'll tell Shar we're going too. Saturday during the day." She says while Troy looks at Olivia who had a different look on her face.

"I'm in." Taylor says. "And if I know Shar, she'll drop everything just to go shopping."

Olivia winces a little. "I can't go." She says with a sigh. "My little brother has a football game at noon and I promised my Aunt and Uncle I'd go."

Troy smiles a little, remembering when he met Olivia's little brother, Allen, this weekend. The kid was twelve and he had the exact same eyes as his sister, along with small nose. He was a quarterback for the junior Wildcats team in his grade and he was also a huge basketball fan, so Troy was basically his idol. "Damn, that sucks." Kelsi says and looks down at Taylor, who also looks a little upset.

"I know… but hey, maybe you guys could come when I go and help me pick it out." Olivia suggests as she stands up and places a hand on Troy's shoulder. He looks up at her to see her smile back at him. "That is… if I get asked…"

Troy rolls his eyes. "I'm sure SOMEONE will ask you." He says even though he could feel his throat tighten at the thought of coming up with something.

"What about you Gabi? Are you in?" Taylor asks while Troy glances around to look at her. For the first time all night, Gabriella turns around to face the rest of the gang. Her face was somewhat paler then normal, which concerned Troy earlier last week, but every time he had been with her he had seen her eat, plus, he had to start trusting her with that right?

"Um… I'm gonna take a rain check." She says while grabbing the rubber band on her wrist and using her fingers to play with it. She glances back down at her physics book and then back up at everyone else, although Troy couldn't help but think she was avoiding his eyes. "My parents want me to help out around the house." She says with a hint in her eyes that made Troy know she was lying. Why, he had no idea.

"That sucks." Kelsi says, evidently not seeing the look in Gabriella's eye that Troy caught. As he looks around at everyone else, they all seem to believe her. That was crap, but maybe it was just because he was best friends with her, so he new how to read her like a book. "I guess it's just the three of us then." She says while looking down at Taylor who nods. Troy suddenly hears a beeping noise and looks over to see that Chad gets up from his chair and walks over to the oven.

"Pizza's done." He says while he pulls it out and places it on the counter.

"Wow, Chad, I'm proud you didn't burn it." Taylor says with everyone laughs, Troy glancing at Gabriella to see she was giggling a little too.

"Shut the hell up." He says even though Taylor kisses him on the cheek.

"So…" Troy says while turning around in his chair and looks up at his girlfriend. "You want me to come to the game on Saturday? Keep you company?" He asks while placing his hands on her waist while she grins at him.

"If you're not doing anything. And I'm sure Al would love you there." She says while beaming down at him. She gently leans down and Troy could feel her soft lips connect with his. They only kiss for a moment, since the first time they had was on Friday night at the party before Troy got wasted.

"Gabs… you want some of this?" Chad asks while Troy looks away from Olivia to see that Taylor and Kelsi were grabbing a piece along with Chad. He then looks back at his best friend to find that she had a disgusted look on her face, but was trying her best to cover it up.

"Um… I'll just have a sandwich instead." She says while finally getting up from the position she was in and walks to the kitchen, with Troy's eyes on her. Eating things like ice cream were one thing, but Troy knew that Gabriella hadn't had pizza since before she turned Anorexic. Step by step, that was all he could ask for.

"Hey man, toss me a piece." Troy says, being too lazy to actually get up from where he was as he watches Olivia roll her eyes and walk over to where it was lying on the counter. But Troy's eyes move over to the girl who was cutting what looked like a turkey and lettuce sandwich on the other side. He watches her movements as she walks over and sets the knife into the sink while then turning around and walking back to the carpet, without looking at Troy once. She immediately opens her book up again and begins to write something down in her spiral when he suddenly sees a floating piece of pizza on a plate in front of him.

"I thought I'd be nice." Olivia says while Troy smirks at her and watches as she takes a bite of her own piece and sits down in the chair next to him.

"Thanks." He says while standing up and taking his book and pizza with him. "I'll be back." He states while turning towards the family room as Olivia moves into his seat and begins to talk with Chad, Taylor and Kelsi. His feet carry him into the family room, noticing how Gabriella's back was turned to him again. He sighs as he moves around her and plops down in front of her, stretching his legs out to the side and swears he sees her body tense up a little. Maybe he was just imagining things? "I need help."

Gabriella takes a bite of her sandwich while turning a page in her physics book. "No shit, I've known that since I was three." She jokes but in a serious tone as she continues to stare at the book.

"You're funny." Troy says sarcastically as Gabriella takes another bite of her sandwich. "No, I'm serious, what number are you on?"

Gabriella glances at her spiral. "Uh… thirty." She says while Troy looks down at his own. Fifteen.

"Damn it!" He says while Gabriella cracks a small smile and takes the last bite of her sandwich. He watches as she swallows and then turns another page. "You still hungry? You can have this." Troy says while placing the piece of pizza under her nose and starts moving it as though tempting her.

Gabriella's deep beautiful brown eyes finally look up and lock on Troy's piercing blue. She gives him a small smile while she sighs. "It's tempting, but I'll pass." She says even though Troy knew that the last thing Gabriella thought it was, was tempting.

Troy sighs. "It was worth a shot." He says while taking a bite. "Mmmm, delicious." He says as though trying to taunt her as Gabriella rolls her eyes again.

"I bet." She says with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, even though Troy knew she was trying her hardest to be serious. Troy takes another bite of his pizza and then sets it down on the plate again as Gabriella's head looks back down into her book. Troy wipes his hands on his jeans and then grabs the spiral and book, taking it away from her. Gabriella's head immediately shoots up as her face drops. "Hey! I need that back."

"And I need to copy!" He exclaims while grabbing his own pencil and tries to grab his spiral. Gabriella reaches for her book as Troy pulls it more to his chest.

"Do your own work!" She exclaims, but was giggling a little as Troy was moving the book around so she couldn't grab it.

"I like your answers better!" He says while Gabriella leans over, but trips on Troy's foot as she falls on top of him, giggling. Troy completely forgets the fact that his girlfriend was sitting in the kitchen as he laughs as well, feeling familiar sparks fly though his body as Gabriella lies on top of his legs and tries to dig into his strong arms that had the book to his chest. "Come here!" He says while finally dropping the book and placing a headlock around giggling Gabriella.

"Troy! Stop!" She says as he ruffles her hair a little and then sits up, both of them out of breath from their wrestling match and letting laughs slip between inhales. "Got it!" Gabriella exclaims while grabbing the book and holding it up in the air as a trophy.

Troy laughs and lies down on his back again while all four people at the table look at them and laugh, even Olivia. He finally remembers that he had a girlfriend again and found it good that she seemed to actually think their wrestling match was funny. Most girls would probably be jealous that another girl was lying on top of their boyfriend, but Olivia seemed ok with the fact that the two were best friends, and one girl wasn't going to change that. "Wow Gabriella, that's pathetic if you can beat him up." Olivia says.

Troy turns and looks to see Gabriella's face fall a little. He sighs, knowing that his girlfriend was trying her hardest to get along with his best friend, but it just seemed that it was harder for Gabriella to connect with her. Troy couldn't blame her, since he would probably be a little weirded out if he was around one of her boyfriends, but Troy knew that out of everyone in the gang, Olivia wanted to be friends with Gabriella the most. "Yeah… well I've been beating him up for awhile." She says in a distant voice and Troy recognized the fact that she didn't look at his girlfriend.

"Yeah right!" Troy says while trying to grab at her waist while still lying on the ground, but Gabriella rolls out of his reach, giggling a little. "I've been pinning you since I was like… five."

Gabriella blushes and Troy knew that it was from the fact that Troy mentioned pinning her about seven years ago when they both stole one of his parents "intimate" magazines. Ever since then Troy had always said pinning, meaning it in a sexual way even though it wasn't when he'd do it. "Since you were five? Wow… you must be experienced." Gabriella jokes as Troy smirks at her, knowing none of them in the room knew what they were talking about at all.

* * *

"So… Chad asked me last night!" Taylor exclaims while running up to Gabriella's locker excitedly. The petite girl smiles back at her friend, excited for her, even though she sort of knew that Chad was going to ask her since he had asked Gabriella if last night would be a good time.

It was the next morning and Gabriella had gotten to school early that day. She was now standing at her locker, straightening things out because they were starting to get a little messy as Taylor had run towards her. "That's great Tay." Gabriella says with small enthusiasm in her voice. Homecoming for her was a touchy subject.

"I know!" She says excitedly again. "After you guys left, we were still doing homework and I turned the page and written in the margin it said 'will you go to homecoming'!" She exclaims, so ecstatic that Gabriella had to giggle a little at the excitement. "I'm still mad you can't go dress shopping with us on Saturday though."

Gabriella sighs as scrunches her tightly curled hair a little move. She completely lied last night. She didn't have something to do with her parents, she just didn't want to go dress shopping. Her mind had been thinking over the past couple days, and she had made a decision about homecoming that she was pretty happy with, even though she was certain that everyone else would freak out about it. "Yeah… well you guys will find something."

But suddenly, Gabriella feels an arm wrap around her shoulders. At first, she could feel the butterflies in her stomach, thinking it was her favorite basketball captain, but those butterflies die when she remembers he had a girlfriend, and beside the little book incident last night, hadn't really touched her in a little over a week. So she turns to the side to find herself staring into a pair of light green eyes, beaming down at her. "Hey Montez."

Gabriella smiles back up at him. "Hey Jeff, what's up?"

Jeff sneaks a glance over to the side at Taylor as she rolls her eyes and puts a hand up. "I get it, I get it I'm leaving."

Gabriella smiles at her best friend's behavior and then turns back to Jeff who was now leaning up against the locker next to hers. His hands were in his pockets as he stared at Gabriella like he was looking at the world. "So… what's up?"

Jeff gives her a sheepish smile and somehow Gabriella knew where this was going. "Nothing really." He says with a shrug. "So… gotta date to homecoming yet?" He asks casually but Gabriella could tell that it was somewhat rehearsed. She sighs, knowing this was going to have to come sooner than later but was preferring later.

"Um… no, no one's asked me yet." She says while reaching into her locker to grab a binder. It was true, no one had asked her yet but she wasn't really complaining. She had gone to homecoming freshman year with a guy from her class, but half way through the dance she basically switched with Troy's date and they ended up being "dates". And sophomore year, she went with Troy since had just broken up with his girlfriend at the time and told her he needed to 'actually have fun' one night, even though Gabriella knew he had been far from upset about dating her.

"Really?" Jeff asks as actually in shock, probably because he was. Everyone was certain Gabriella would be one of the first to get asked. "Wow I'm in shock."

She shrugs as she grabs another folder out of her locker and then closes it. "Oh well." She says simply while leaning up against it, spinning the rubber band around her wrist.

"Well, since you don't have a date yet, do you want to go with me?" Jeff asks with a goofy grin on his face. That wasn't helping much with the matters. She had already decided about homecoming, and she wasn't going to change her mind. She was happy with this decision, but just really didn't want to break any hearts.

"Um, actually, I'm not going." She says and watches as Jeff's face drops. She could see his eyes basically pop out of his head as he looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Wait… what?" He asks still in shock as Gabriella shrugs casually as if it was no big deal.

"I'm not going." She says and gives him a small smile. "But thanks so much for asking me." She says while Jeff finally recovers from the shock of one of the most popular girls in school not going to one of the dances.

"Why not?" He asks, trying to hide the hurt expression on his face. "Do you not wanna go with me so you're lying?" He asks while trying to make a joke about it but Gabriella could tell he was slightly serious.

"What? God no!" Gabriella exclaims while shaking her head a little. "No, of course not. I just decided I didn't really feel like going this year." She says honestly even though there was more to the story then just that. Disappointment was written all over Jeff's face and Gabriella begins to feel slightly guilty. "But hey, we'll just have to hang out sometime soon to make up for it."

His face lifts a little as a small smile plays on his lips. "You sure I can't… persuade you?" He says with a seductive smile on his face. Gabriella rolls her eyes and shakes her head slightly.

"Sorry Jeff." She says as he sighs.

"It was worth a shot." He says while engulfing her in a hug that was unfamiliar to Gabriella. She was so used to Troy's warm ones that sent shockwaves through her body, but this was just more friendly, almost one sided. "I'll see ya around Montez." He says as he lets go and gives her a small wave. Gabriella sighs as she watches him go and then suddenly sees her best girl friend running up to her with a shocked expression on her face. She barely even registered that a blonde was standing there also before she started to rant.

"What the hell Gabs?" Sharpay exclaims as Gabriella sighs, knowing this was going to come out eventually. "What do you mean you're not going?"

She shrugs her shoulders and glances at the ground, finding it easier to look at then her friends' faces. "I just decided not to." She says while lifting up her eyes again.

"You can't not go!" Sharpay exclaims while Gabriella shrugs her shoulders again.

"Yes I can. It's just a dance." She responds as Taylor's eyes lock on her. She could feel her hand begin to play with the rubber band on her wrist again.

"If this is about Olivia and Troy…" She starts to say but Gabriella holds up her hand to stop her.

"It has nothing to do with them." She says truthfully. Well, kind of truthfully. Sure, she had taken that into consideration, but it wasn't the full reason for not going to the dance. "Troy has a girlfriend now, I except that." She says while Sharpay rolls her eyes.

"Oh bullshit and you know it. _I _haven't even accepted it!" She exclaims with a flip of her blonde hair as she straightens out her red top.

"Whatever ok? I'm not going so can we please just drop it?" She asks while looking down the hallway and feeling the familiar feeling of heartbreak as she could see Troy laughing with Olivia's hand laced in his own. She rips her eyes away, knowing that this was just a familiar scene that she wasn't getting used to anytime soon.

"Hey guys!" Olivia says while stopping as Troy keeps walking until he meets up with what looked like Chad who was coming from the opposite direction.

"Hey Liv." Taylor says while Sharpay gives her a half smile. Gabriella copies Sharpay, as she couldn't take her eyes off of Troy who was now laughing at something Chad said. God, how could he get so incredible?

"So Gabriella…" A voice enters her head, shaking her out of the trance she was in as she notices that Sharpay and Taylor had started talking about how Zeke asked Sharpay out. Olivia was looking at her and Gabriella tries not to frown with jealousy. Her skin seemed to be glowing through her pink baby doll top and leggings. "Are we still singing the first song for choir?"

Gabriella found that she couldn't look the girl in the eye. "Uh… yeah I guess." She says with not much emotion in her voice. She couldn't help it, but it was too hard for Gabriella to sit and have conversations with this girl. She liked Olivia, it was just that her jealousy took over way too often.

"Hey you." She hears a voice and watches as Troy wraps his arms around Olivia's waist from behind and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Hey Gab."

But jealousy always took over when you were head over heels for perfection itself.


	9. Lost in Your Eyes

"I'll meet you guys in the cafeteria!" Chad's voice calls out that sounded all to rehearsed, probably because it was. Troy's hand that was holding the small one was shaking slightly as the girl leads him down the junior hallway that was completely empty. He knew she would say yes to him, after all, she was his girlfriend, but Troy still couldn't help but feel nervous. They stop at the familiar locker as Olivia's hand lets go of his own and she grabs the lock to spin it.

"You know, I could totally cream you in volleyball." She says while glancing back at him. He rolls his perfect blue eyes as she giggles a little. Troy loved that laugh, to him it was incredible. They had just gotten out of gym, and Troy was almost begging for her to open her locker faster. He just wanted to get this over with so his hands would stop shaking and sweating like crazy. God, he was usually so put together, why was he so nervous now? Oh yea, cuz it was Olivia.

"You wish Walker." He says while she turns around again and smiles. The lock clicks open as she pulls it down, but doesn't open the locker itself. Instead, she grabs his hand and Troy tries not to close his eyes in agony. Why would she not open the damn locker? Did she know and she was just trying to tease him or something?

"Don't be mad." She says with a flirtatious smile on her face. "You could kill me in basketball any day." She says while Troy laughs a little, both out of pain for her not opening the locker, and because of what she had just said.

"That would suck if the basketball captain got beat by his girlfriend." He says while his eyes were burning on the white locker behind her. "Come on, hurry up I wanna get to lunch." He says, trying to make her go faster but she didn't seem to be getting the hint.

Olivia's smooth face drops as she acts as though she was in shock. Troy's piercing blue eyes bore into her brown as he could feel his heart melt just by looking at her. "So… you don't want to hang out with your girlfriend? I'm hurt." She says while Troy rolls his eyes again.

She finally turns around and Troy almost sighs in relief. Her small hands take the lock off of her locker and she finally opens it up, revealing red and white streamers, along with a giant sign going down the center that read "Homecoming?" in red and white. Troy smiles a little as she stares at it for a moment, then turns around beaming like a little kid on Christmas.

"Is this you?" She asks while Troy actually laughs at the question. Who else would it be?

"No, it's your other hot basketball captain boyfriend." Troy says cockily while Olivia giggles her sweet laugh that made Troy's world light up.

"Oh… then I guess I should go tell him yes, of course I will go with him." She says while turning in the other direction.

Troy quickly grabs her shoulders to see her beaming face. He picks up her up by her lower back and spins her around, the sweet giggle erupting from her throat the whole time. Troy feels a wave of relief hit him, finally knowing it was done with asking her and now he really had nothing to worry about. "Great!" He exclaims while placing a kiss on her soft lips.

She pulls away and turns back around, moving her the banner a little out of the way to grab her brown paper bag lunch. After turning back around she closes her locker and then grabs his hand in the one that wasn't holding the brown paper bag. "So… was this your idea? Or did you steal it from someone?"

Troy then nervously scratches the back of his neck. "Um… that depends, are you gonna be mad?" He asks, knowing that some girls would be mad if they used ideas that he stole from someone else.

"Probably not." She says with a smile on her face that Troy knew was genuine. That's what he loved about Olivia. She wasn't like a normal girl. But it seemed that the closest girls to him weren't normal. And he wouldn't trade that away.

"Well… this guy asked Gabi that way freshman year." He says while Olivia giggles a little.

"Stealing ideas from a freshman?" She asks while Troy stops and pulls her to him before turning the corner to reach the cafeteria doors.

"Sorry." He mumbles while pressing his lips against hers in a kiss that sent sparks flying through his body.

She pulls apart and sighs a little. "I actually kinda want to talk to you about that. Well, about Gabriella."

Troy's heart suddenly stops. What? Olivia's face was serious as she looked at him, and Troy tries not to roll his eyes in agony. He really liked Olivia, but he knew that if she had a problem with Gabriella, then he would have to dump her. But Olivia seemed to like her! Was she finally starting to be like the other girls and feel that he was flirting too much with his best friend? Especially after what happened at Chad's last night with the book? "Is there something wrong with her?" Troy asks with a defensive tone that was a reflex when it came to Gabriella.

Olivia's eyes grow wide as she drops his hand and shakes her head. "God no! No Troy, she's amazing…" She says while Troy breathes a little easier. But then what was wrong?

"But?" Troy asks, knowing there was more to this.

Olivia sighs as she looks at him again. "But… I think she has a problem with me."

Troy raises his eyes to this. What? Gabriella loved everyone. He knew she was a little shaky on him dating Olivia at first, but he thought now she was ok with it. To him, it seemed that he was giving then both the attention they should have, but was he really starting to neglect his best friend? Was she starting to not like Olivia because he wasn't paying enough attention to her? "What? Gabriella loves everyone."

Olivia sighs again as she looks at her feet. "I know. She's such a sweet girl, but it just seems like she wants NOTHING to do with me. Like every time I try to talk to her, it seems like she doesn't want to talk back."

Troy pauses. He didn't know what to say to that. What could he? He couldn't force Gabriella to like her, but he was positive that she did. What wasn't there to like? "She likes you." He says, positive that she did, but it wasn't like Troy didn't notice it at well, he just didn't want to show Olivia that he also saw it. "Don't worry ok? She does."

Olivia sighs as she runs a hand through her hair. This was obvious bothering her. "Yeah…" She says while Troy sighs and grabs her hand.

"You want me to talk to her?" He asks while Olivia's eyes grow wide and she shakes her head.

"No… no I don't want to force her to talk to me." She says while Troy shakes his head.

"Gab's not like that alright? I'll talk to her. I need help on calculus anyways…" He says, implying that he was going to hang out with her to study tonight.

"Troy… I don't…" Olivia says while Troy drapes his arm over her.

"Don't worry about it ok?" He says while leading her towards the cafeteria doors. She sighs, probably knowing that once Troy made up his mind, he stuck to that. She nods a little and gives him a small smile.

"Ok." She says in a small voice that Troy thought was adorable. He kisses her head gently and then opens the bright red doors to the cafeteria, hearing the busy talking fill his ears. His eyes don't even have to scan the crowd to see the table they were going to, also seeing the two seats that were left open for them. He removes his arm from around Olivia's shoulders and grabs her hand, leading her straight to the table right under the balcony.

"Hey." Troy says while sitting down in the empty seat next to Kelsi. Olivia sits down also, and Troy looks up reflexively to see that Sharpay was talking to Gabriella about something. The deep brown eyes roll and they land on Troy's piercing blue. He gives her a warm smile, which she immediately returns.

"There is no way I'm letting you not…" The blonde rants as Gabriella shakes her head and suddenly cuts her off.

"Don't worry about it Shar." She says while shaking her head. Troy laughs a little, while Gabriella beams him another smile. "It's my choice."

"Your choice for what?" Troy asks curiously while opening up the brown paper bag sitting in front of him. He really hadn't talked to her much today. That was the one of the only thing that he was missing now that he was with Olivia, he and Gabriella didn't get to spend half the amount of time they used to. But he was trying to balance it out the best he could. But it was hard. So hard.

Troy noticed the way Gabriella's eyes dart and give warning looks to everyone at the table, but she covers it up by then just shrugging. "Nothing important. Just me not going shopping on Saturday." She says while rolling her eyes a little.

"Yeah… you and Liv." Taylor says while shaking her head. The light suddenly turns on in Troy's head. That might not be a bad idea. Neither one of them had homecoming dresses yet. That could work in his favor.

"So… Calculus? Yeah, you're coming over tonight to help me." Troy says while locking his eyes on the deep brown. Gabriella's eyebrow raises a little while she glances at Olivia, and then takes a bite of her apple.

"Don't I have a choice in this?" She asks while taking another bite and Troy shakes his head.

"Hell no. You're coming over. Or I'm failing." He says while Gabriella glances at Olivia for a moment, almost as though looking at her for permission. No way. There was no way that Gabriella need permission to actually hang out with him. It wasn't going to work that way. Gabriella was too important to him to just have her ask permission.

"Er… alright. I'll be over by five." She says while glancing back at him. He was beaming at her with his bright white teeth.

"Good." He says while lacings his hands with Olivia under the table, but couldn't help but find himself more excited for hanging out with Gabriella for the first time by themselves since her therapist meeting then he should have.

* * *

Gabriella stares down at the book that she seemed to be glued on for the past two days. Her eyes couldn't look up. She could feel a pair of two piercing blue eyes cutting through her skin, but she didn't dare look up. Troy's room seemed to be thirty degrees warmer then what it should have been. She was doing her best not to shake her legs on the plain red comforter that were beneath her jeans. "This sucks." She could hear his perfect voice say on the computer chair a few feet away with his laptop sitting open, though he was leaning forward with the calculus book in his hands and his spiral sitting on the desk.

"No shit." Gabriella says while continuing to sit cross-legged on his bed.

Troy groans as he shuts the book and glances at the clock. They had been at it for about an hour and a half now as Gabriella could tell that Troy's attention span was running thin. He stands up and stetches his body, Gabriella doing her best not to stare at the abs that were showing as his blue long sleeved shirt lifts up a little to expose them. Troy smirks down at her as he brings his arms down again. "Like what you see?"

A blush erupts on Gabriella's cheeks. "You wish Bolton." She says but couldn't help but desperately want him to take his full shirt off.

"I wouldn't have to wish." He says while Gabriella looks away, knowing he was probably right. She hears his footsteps walk over as the weight suddenly shifts on her bed. Gabriella turns over to look at him as he lays down on his back and smiles up at her. "I'm wiped." He says while Gabriella sighs.

"Maybe I should let you sleep then." She says, even though the last thing she ever wanted to do was leave him. She starts to get up but Troy suddenly shoots his arms out and grabs her waist, holding her in place with his strong arms. Gabriella closes her eyes and feels the sensation of him touching her.

"Hell no." He says while sitting up a little. "We haven't hung out in fucking ages."

Gabriella turns around and looks at him. "Well, you've been a little busy." She says, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice, even though it was still there. He sighs as he lets go of her waist, Gabriella feeling emptiness there as he does. His right hand that seemed naked without his ring runs through his hair as he sighs.

"I know… I'm sorry, I guess I've just been really caught up with Olivia." He says while looking at her with his drowning blue eyes that Gabriella could get lost in.

"Yeah… that's what happens when you get a girlfriend." Gabriella says, this time doing better to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"You're not jealous are you?" He asks while watching her every move. Gabriella's body tenses up. Did he know? Of course she was jealous! But he couldn't know that. There was no way he could no that ever. He had Olivia now, and he was happy. The only thing Gabriella wanted him to be.

"Jealous? No, of course not." She lies through her teeth while trying to give him a weird look. "Why the hell would you think that?"

Troy shrugs casually. "I don't know. I've been spending a lot of time with her and…" He says whiling looking up at her again. "Liv said you… kinda give her a weird vibe."

Gabriella raises her eyebrows. What did that mean? "A weird vibe? What do you mean?"

Troy sighs. "She thinks you don't like her. She thinks you don't want anything to do with her."

It was so hard for Gabriella. She did like Olivia. She really did. But Gabriella cared too much for Troy. She couldn't sit there and watch him fall in love with another girl. It was too hard on her. But she had to suck it up. "I do like her."

He looks at her and runs a hand through his hair again. "Well… you do kinda… um… are distant around her."

Gabriella closes her eyes. She knew she was, but what she could do? It seemed to her she didn't have many options. Troy was falling in love with someone else. Someone who wasn't her. It was eating her up inside and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. "I'm sorry?" She says more as a question then anything.

Troy sighs as he places a hand on Gabriella's forearm. "No, it's just…" He pauses. "You're my best friend Gab. My _best friend_. I just… need you two to bond or something."

Gabriella raises another eyebrow. "Bond?" She asks while Troy nods.

"Yeah… you know, hang out, gossip, things like that." He says while Gabriella looks away. She could feel the burning sensation on her arm where he was touching her. "Like… maybe going homecoming dress shopping on Sunday?"

Gabriella's eyes shoot up. Dress shopping with the girl who was going with the guy she was in love with? What? Was he crazy? But then again, he had no idea she felt that way. But bonding with Olivia? Sure, the girl was sweet, nice, and seemed to be perfect. But she would be dress shopping with this girl. Watching Olivia try on dresses that would make her look stunning. She knew she would probably get a low, watching this girl with a perfect body. She knew that it would be difficult since Olivia was so thin and slender, Gabriella would never be able to compare to her. Plus, Gabriella wasn't even getting a dress. But Troy didn't know that. "I… uh…"

"You don't have to be best friends with her." He says while smiling. "That's my job. Just please, she really wants to connect with you, ya know?"

Gabriella sighs and closes her eyes, shaking her head but not really believing what was going to come out of her mouth next. "On one condition."

Troy's eyes grow brighter as his bright white smile expands across his face. "Anything."

She couldn't help but feel the smile stretch across her face. "I get to tell embarrassing stories of you."

Troy's face drops as his eyes grow wide. "Nuh uh."

"Oh yeah…" Gabriella says while trying to suppress giggles. "I can tell her about how you put on one of my dresses and sang…" She says while not stopping the giggles now.

A grin breaks out on his face as he suddenly dives for her. She could feel his fingers begin to move against her stomach as she couldn't stop giggling. "I was six years old!"

She feels her body lean back as Troy continues to attack her stomach. Gabriella couldn't stop laughing as she didn't even notice his body slip over hers. His legs squeeze in between hers as she puts her hands up and tries to push him off of her. Obviously, she was unsuccessful since he was so much stronger and bigger than her.

A small familiar throb forms between her legs as Troy's hands stop touching her stomach. A giggle here and there erupts from her mouth as the drowning blue connects with the deep brown. His hands rest up right above her shoulders as the throb starts to grow larger. Both she and Troy had completely forgotten about his girlfriend as Gabriella desperately wanted him to place his lips onto hers. The magnetic force was trying to bring their lips together, though Gabriella suddenly could see the eyes that were staring down at her look at his girlfriend instead of her. Her head suddenly turns to the side, trying to break the magnetic force but it seemed impossible to do.

Suddenly, a knock could be heard from the door as Gabriella pushes her hands up on Troy's chest, throwing him off guard as he rolls off of her. She immediately dives towards the chair that Troy was sitting in awhile ago as the white door opens. Her eyes lift up to see a man that had Troy's features written all over him.

"Hey guys." Coach Bolton says while Troy was staring at Gabriella, still with a shock look on his face that Gabriella had reacted so quickly. She looks back at his father who had a smile on her face. "How's it going?"

"Alright." Gabriella responds immediately as Troy clears his voice and looks up at his dad.

"Yeah…" Troy says while making the shock on his face disappear a little.

"Good… so Gabs, do you wanna stay for dinner? I know Lucille would love to have you." Coach Bolton asks her. Troy's mother was completely and one hundred percent behind Troy and Gabriella getting together. She knew her mother was hoping they would get together also, but Mrs. Bolton was defiantly their number one fan.

"She's staying." Troy responds for her before Gabriella could even open her mouth.

"Troy!" She says while Troy rolls his eyes and looks at his father.

"She's staying." He says again while Jack Bolton shakes his head at the two and smiles at them.

"Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes." He says while walking back out the door and closing it behind him. Gabriella immediately looks at Troy, giving him a dirty look while he smiles innocently at her.

"Thanks for making my decisions for me lately." She says, joking since she wasn't complaining that she was going to be able to spend more time with him.

"Hell, if they keep you here." He says while leaning back on his bed. Gabriella could feel a blush erupt on her cheeks as she remembers the position they were in a little more then two minutes ago. She really needed to stop this. She had to. Troy had a girlfriend now, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. He was falling in love with her, Gabriella could tell. She could see the look that lit up in his eyes when Olivia was in the room. A look that Gabriella would never own. "So you'll go with her then?"

Gabriella lets out a sigh, knowing that it probably wasn't the best idea, because she would be helping this perfect girl pick out a dress. The pressure on Gabriella would probably tear her apart, but she had to do this. Troy really wanted this for her, so she needed to do it for him. "Yeah… I guess so."

Troy hops off the bed and walks over to where she was sitting in the chair. His hands grab hers as Gabriella could feel sparks surge through her body at the impact point. He pulls her up into a standing position, while Gabriella's eyes couldn't be ripped away from Troy's. "You're amazing… you know that right?" He says while slipping his arms around her small body.

Gabriella wraps her arms around his neck and takes in the warm musky scent of him. The smell was addicting, one that she never wanted to be taken away from her. Her eyes close as she leans into his neck and she could almost feel his body shake a little at her touch.

It was moments like these that should have made Gabriella feel incredible. But that wasn't the case. All she could think about right now is the fact that his nose was tangled in her hair, taking in her scent, but she knew that he was probably wishing that it was Olivia. He was probably wishing that he was hanging out with Olivia right now instead of her. He was probably daydreaming about her and the next time he would touch her, feel her… kiss her.

What Gabriella didn't know was that Troy wasn't thinking about Olivia at all right now. All that could be filled on his mind was the gorgeous, incredible brunette that was in his arms right now.

"Come on." Gabriella says while finally letting go of him reluctantly. He smiles down at her as she takes a deep breath, trying not to grab his hand out of a reflex. "I know you, you're probably starving."

Troy smiles a little and wraps an arm around his arm around her shoulders. "What about you?" He asks, and Gabriella knew that was his way of checking up on her for the day.

She sighs as she feels him give her a small squeeze. "I'll do what I can." She says while Troy smiles at her, knowing that was the best she could do.


	10. Starting Over

It was supposed to be harmless. Sharpay's idea actually, but then it spun out of grasp. She could remember the very first time she did it. The very first time she lost control, but to her it seemed like she was gaining it…

_Gabriella could feel her fingers tapping on Troy's couch nervously, along with the blond sitting next to her. There had to be thirty people there, and she couldn't help but feel self conscious. The guys were staring at her, almost with longing as she crosses her arms over her chest. "I can't take this." Sharpay whispers while playing with the celery stick in her hands._

"_It's been two weeks." Gabriella says while taking a bite of her own. "And two more until the Sadie Hawkins's dance." She exclaims while looks around at the party to see that people were shoving their faces with potato chips, chocolate, every type of sweet out there. It was so tempting to Gabriella. So very tempting. But she sighs as she glances back at Sharpay. "How much have you lost?"_

"_Total?" Sharpay asks while sighing. "Like three pounds."_

_Gabriella places her chin onto her hand and narrows her eyes down on the celery stick. She wanted food. Real food, not the health crap she was eating right now. Her eyes scan the room again to see all of the food seemed to be calling her name. "I've lost five." She says while sighing. "That's five more then where I want to be!"_

_She suddenly feels a presence sit down next to her on the couch as Gabriella looks up to a pair of piercing blue eyes. Her stomach does about forty back flips as he beams down at her. "Hey! How are ya?" Troy asks while giving her a half hug with his arm. The Wildcats had just won their basketball game and Troy was having a party to celebrate. His parents were home though, plus Gabriella really wasn't used to the drinking thing quite yet, so there was no alcohol being served._

"_Starving." She says while throwing down the piece of celery and looking at Sharpay who was pouting. They had started this whole diet to fit into their perfect Sadies's dresses. Gabriella needed to be one size smaller while Sharpay just wanted to look good in hers. They had been on it for two weeks, and Gabriella could barely see a difference. She was becoming more depressed as everyday went by. So depressed her judgment was starting to get clouded with disfigurement._

"_You guys still on that dumb diet?" He asks while crossing his arms and shaking his head. "You guys are fucking stupid. Both of you are like twigs."_

"_Fuck off Bolton." Sharpay says while getting down on her knees and staring at all of the potato chips sitting on the coffee table. "It's calling my name! Sharpay! Sharpay!" She moans as Troy rolls his eyes._

"_Just have it!" Troy exclaims while Gabriella sighs. It would be so easy. So very easy and there would be nothing to it. Her crush, yet best friend moves his eyes back to her. "God, you two are dumb." He says while Gabriella glares up at him._

"_I'm sorry I don't want to be fat anymore!' She exclaims while Troy rolls his eyes again._

"_I could break you just by laying a hand on you. Trust me, you're not fat." He says as he stands up from the arm of the couch as one of the other older starting varsity walks up to him and begins talking to him._

_Suddenly, a familiar guy with a huge afro sets down three hot pizzas that had just come from the door. "Pizza's here!"_

_Everyone seems to swarm as Chad backs away. Gabriella and Sharpay just look at each other with longing in their faces. She was hungry, so hungry that she could barely take it anymore. "Maybe… we could just take a break." Sharpay says while the smell of melted cheese fills Gabriella's nostrils temptingly._

"_We've worked so hard." Gabriella says while staring at the pizza that was now calling her name._

_Sharpay finally lets out a groan. "I can't take it anymore!" She says while diving forward. Gabriella's eyes grow wide as Sharpay grabs a piece of cheese and slabs it on a plate, while doing it again. "Eat this!" She exclaims while holding it out for her._

"_Shar! This was your idea in the first place!" Gabriella exclaims while now staring at the piece of pizza like it was Troy and she just wanted to take it all in._

"_I know. And if I'm breaking, you're breaking. So eat it!" She says while shoving the piece of pizza in her mouth. Gabriella watches as Sharpay moans in pleasure. "Oh my God, I think I just orgasmed."_

_Gabriella stares down at the pizza. Her eyes glance up to see the captain of the cheerleading team was now talking to Troy. He laughs at something she says while the girl places a hand on his forearm. The girl was a complete stick, what Gabriella never saw in herself. She finally takes a bite of the pizza that was calling to her. She feels the sauce and cheese ooze into her mouth, never thinking food could taste that good._

_That was, until she had finished. Her stomach felt like it was going to explode. Both she and Sharpay were lying back on the couch, looking sick. "What the fuck did we just do?" Gabriella asks while Sharpay closes her eyes._

"_We just gained five pounds." She says while sighing. Gabriella could almost feel the fat begin to build up onto her body. She felt disgusting, fat and huge. She could barely look down at her stomach which was hidden behind a tight pink shirt. Her eyes narrow at how disgusting it looked to her. She felt depressed, more then depressed. She let herself down. This was the one thing in her life that she wanted, and she just let herself down. _

_She felt like shit. "All the work we had put it just went down the toilet."_

_Gabriella moans as Sharpay finally gets up off of her feet. "I'm gonna see if I can walk it off." She says while leaving the couch. Gabriella could almost feel the tears burn in the back of her eyes. She had just ruined everything. Sure, most people would think she was over reacting over one piece of pizza, but Gabriella's mind was becoming disfigured with every second that went by. Her eyes scan the party again, to see that the cheerleader now had her lower body pushed up against Troy's. Her perfect, thin body against the guy she couldn't live without. And he had a smile on his face that didn't look like could ever be wiped off. A smile that she would never cause on his face._

_Gabriella suddenly feels completely depressed as she jumps up from where she was sitting. Her feet carry her to the only place that seemed like there would be no one else. They sprint up the familiar stairs as she rushes to the left. Her hands grab the door handle as she swings it open and then shut. Her eyes adjust to the bright lights of the bathroom as she places her hands on his white sink and takes in deep breaths._

_Her eyes look up into the mirror and she suddenly feels her eyes grow wide in shock. Staring back at her was a black haired girl who looked like she belonged in a sumo wrestling match. Her cheeks were the size of balloons as she had twelve chins. Her arms jiggled with out even moving them and her body looked like it weighed over five hundred pounds. Her sausage fingers touch the mirror gently as she stares at her completely distorted image. She wasn't any of these things, but her mind was telling her she was._

_Panic spread through her body as she looks around the bathroom as if that would solve her problem. Suddenly, her eyes land on the white porcelain that was so perfectly decorated. The idea suddenly crossed her mind. Her mind was rushing at a million miles a minute. The health class they had to take always said how dangerous it would be. But it seemed so easy._

_She gets down on her kneels and lifts up the seat. Her eyes stare into the water below, seeing the faint outline of her hugeness. Her mind suddenly flashes the image of the toothpick cheerleader who was pushed up against Troy. That was when her decision was made._

_Her first two fingers on her right hand lift up as she braces herself with her left. She sticks them inside of her mouth, feeling around, trying to teach herself how to do it. This was stupid, not going to get her anywhere, but she just had to try it. She was desperate. Almost as if hitting her perfect spot, she suddenly feels her stomach turn as hot acid boils through her throat. She immediately moves her hand and leans forward, letting the vomit burn through her mouth and land into the toilet._

_The bathroom fills with the scent of sick as Gabriella took deep breaths. Her hands were shaking at the fact of what she just did. This was stupid, crazy people did this! She wasn't going to be Bulimic! But her stomach suddenly felt lighter. She felt instantly better about the pizza she had eaten. Was it that easy? After everything you eat, just purge it up after that? Right there, she had made a decision. It would be for two more weeks, and then she would stop. Two weeks of purging. That couldn't be Bulimia. Two weeks was barely anything. _

_She suddenly hears a knock on the white door that she had forgotten to lock. Panic spread through her body as her head shoots up and looks to see the door open. Her stomach flips four times as the gorgeous chestnut brown hair and piercing blue eyed boy walks into the bathroom. "Hey… are you ok? I saw you run out." Troy says but then shuts the door behind him. His face suddenly cringes at the skink as he puts his hand up to his nose. "Ugh, what's that smell?"_

_Gabriella looks down at the toilet, her mind racing to find an excuse. If Troy found out she had just purged, he would have thought she was weird and crazy. "I… uh…"_

_Troy's eyes grow wide as Gabriella bites her bottom lip. He knew. He knew what she had just done. Now he was going to think she was insane. "Why didn't you tell me you had the flu?" He asks while kneeling down next to her and rubbing her back._

_Gabriella lets out a breath of relief. She could go with this. He had just made a cover for her without even knowing he did. "Yeah… my stomach hurts." She says, not necessarily lying since her stomach hurt before from all the fat that was built up._

"_Come on." Troy coxes in a small voice as he gently wraps her arm around his shoulder, then his on hers. He slowly brings her up, with her knees shaking a little since she was dizzy from just throwing up. Troy reaches down and flushes the toilet then leads her over to the door. After opening it, Gabriella could hear the music playing downstairs as they walk towards his familiar room. Once inside, he lies her down in his bed and throws a blanket over her._

"_Everyone's leaving soon, so just sleep here, I'll be up later." He says while giving her a small hug, Gabriella feels sparks fly through her body. "Let me know if you need anything ok?"_

_Gabriella nods as he gently kisses her forehead, and then walks out the door, shutting it behind him. She sighs and turns over, taking in his musky scent on his pillows. Two weeks, that's all it would be. Just until the dance then she would stop._

_She had no idea how addicting it could get in two weeks._

* * *

The bell echoes in Gabriella's ears as she places the black music folder in a small slot that matched the silver number sitting on her folder. Her eyes glance back to see that the brunette with large, bouncing curls was walking towards the door. Usually, Olivia waited for Gabriella, but Gabriella couldn't help but think that maybe it had to do with a conversation she had last night with Troy. He probably told her he was going to talk to Gabriella, and now she was embarrassed. Gabriella takes a deep breath before running towards the door after the girl she was incredibly jealous of. "Olivia! Wait up!"

Olivia's chocolate colored eyes lead her head as she turns around, looking at the almost black haired girl who was calling out for her. The lighter pair of eyes widen a little in shock as Gabriella walks over with a forced, although no one else would be able to tell, smile on her face. "Uhh… hey Gabriella."

They fall into step with one another as Gabriella could feel jealousy run through her veins while she was with her, but she tries to shove that away for a moment to talk to her. "So, you have to go to your brother's football game this Saturday? That sucks."

Olivia shrugs. "Not really. My brother and I are really close. Plus, Troy's coming so…" She says while Gabriella could feel her face reflexively fall. Olivia's eyes grow wide at the action, but Gabriella tires to cover it up with a smile again. "I mean, I'm pissed I can't go dress shopping." She adds in, almost as if making it sound like she would rather be somewhere other than with Troy would make up for bringing him with her.

"Yeah, that sucks." Gabriella adds in and takes a deep breath. This was it; she was doing this for Troy. If it was anyone else, she wouldn't do it. But this was Troy we were talking about, so she was just going to go for it. "But hey, do you wanna go on Sunday? The two of us?"

Olivia's face immediately breaks out into a grin, but then drops a little as almost a realization dawned on her. "Troy said something to you, didn't he?"

Gabriella tries not to give anything away as she shrugs. "He just said that we should hang out together. Which he's right." She lies while saying but that seemed to do the trick. They turn one more time down the busy junior hallway, while three guys going the other way look Gabriella up and down even though she was just wearing a U of A t-shirt and jeans. She crosses her arms reflexively over her stomach as she walks up to her locker, spinning the combination. Olivia walks behind her and Gabriella notices that she had all of her books with her already. "But if you don't wanna go…"

"No, I do!" Olivia exclaims while Gabriella opens her locker up. She grabs the books that she needed for the homework she had tonight and slips them in her bag. "No I really do." She repeats as though that would make Gabriella even more convinced.

"Ok… then how about I come pick you up at noon?" Gabriella says with a small, trying to be welcoming smile.

"Sounds good to me." Olivia responds with a beam stretching across her face. Gabriella smiles a little. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Sure, she was going to have to stare at the girl who stole her best friend's heart away from her, which she also had a perfect body that would probably make Gabriella's Anorexic thoughts pop back into her mind. But it could be fun, and Gabriella was really learning to shove those thoughts out of her head. She should just look at it as a test to see how well she was doing.

"What sounds good?" Gabriella hears a voice enter her ears as she looks to see Chad, Taylor, and Troy all walk up to their lockers. Troy slips an arm around Olivia and Gabriella looks away jealously.

_You_. She thinks to herself but then watches as Olivia now beams up at him. "Gabriella and I are going homecoming dress shopping on Sunday." She says while Troy smirks at Gabriella, nodding his head in thank you. Gabriella just rolls her eyes as she leans up against her locker.

"Girl bonding. We can talk about you the whole time." Gabriella taunts while her eyebrows raise twice to mock him. His face drops as Olivia giggles. "I have stories that you would probably make you pee your pants." Gabriella says while looking at Olivia.

The warning bell rings and Olivia giggles a little more, then plants a kiss onto Troy's cheek. "See ya." She says and Gabriella watches as she walks away. Troy's eyes land back on her as they immediately fall into step together, walking towards homeroom.

"We talked about this." Troy says while Gabriella giggles. "No embarrassing stories."

Gabriella sighs dramatically. "You ruin everything." She says while he rolls his eyes and places an arm around her, pulling her to his body in a half hug.

"And that's why you love me." He says while walking into the study hall classroom, not even knowing that he was more on then Gabriella knew he thought.

* * *

"Mmm… what about this one?"

Gabriella stops looking through the dresses as she looks up to the one that Olivia was wearing. It would come above the knee in a light green color. The almost black haired girl shrugs as her eyes look back down at the rack. "It's alright..."

So far, the afternoon was going ok for Gabriella. They had been shopping for an hour and a half and still hadn't found the perfect dress for Olivia yet. She they were now in a little store in the middle of the mall as they were continuing with their search. Although Gabriella didn't want to admit it, she was having a good time with Olivia. The girl was sweet, plus she seemed to be pretty down to earth. Although it was difficult to watch this girl put these dresses on her perfect body, Gabriella was actually doing ok. Sure, it made her want to loose five pounds, but for the moment, she was fine.

Olivia lets out a sigh as she runs a hand through her smooth hair. "Damn, this is harder then it looks."

Gabriella smiles a little as she points to the dressing room. "Go try on the next one."

She nods and walks back into the dimly lit dressing room and closes the purple door. Gabriella's eyes move over to the next rack, while her mind was working. It was so weird to be picking out a dress for the girl who she desperately wanted to be. But she was starting to like this girl more, even if she had the boy who Gabriella couldn't live without.

Her fingers move through the silver hangers as she scans each dress. None of them seemed to jump out at her. She was almost looking for her dream dress, but found that if putting it on a different person, then it could be absolutely perfect.

Her eyes suddenly look down and it was almost as though the lights were shinning down on it in a spot light against the dimly lit lighting. The small fingers reach out and pick it up, her eyes glowing in the process. She was absorbing the perfectly smooth satin surface. The orange lit up the room and as she held it against her arm, the perfectly tan skin was amplified. It would have been flat against her stomach, while the bottom wedged out a little, but not much. The top had thick straps that went back into a halter and there was a sliver diamond, with what looked like diamonds inside it right in-between the bust.

She suddenly hears the dressing room open as she pulls the dress behind her back, as if she wasn't allowed to look at it. Olivia walks out in a fuchsia dress that reached the floor. It looked good, just not great. "This?"

She spins around in the mirror as Gabriella could feel the dress burn into her hands. It was gorgeous, and she knew that Troy would absolutely fall head over heels for whoever wore it. It would have been so easy to just hide the dress so Olivia wouldn't find it. Gabriella wanted it. She wanted to wear it and feel gorgeous and have Troy TELL her she was gorgeous. Olivia had her dream guy, why should she have Gabriella's dream dress as well?

But Gabriella couldn't do that. If it was Sharpay, it would have been done in a heartbeat. But Gabriella was too nice, too caring, too generous. She knew Olivia would look gorgeous in the dress, better then her. Though Gabriella had no idea that she would have looked more stunning in it. "Um… it's nice, but uh…" She says and sighs. "I found one that you would look stunning in."

She pulls the orange one from around her back as Olivia's eyes light up at the sight of perfection. She walks over as Gabriella holds it out as if it was the Holy Grail. Olivia's thin fingers pick it up as she holds it so she could see. A smile forms on her lips as she beams at Gabriella. "I'll go try this on."

Gabriella sighs as Olivia turns back and walks into the dressing room. She hadn't told Olivia she wasn't going to homecoming yet, not had she told Troy. She was afraid to tell him almost, because then if she told him, it would actually mean it was happening for sure. It wasn't that Gabriella didn't like dances, because she did. But did she want to never find the perfect dress because of her body? No, not an option.

She lets out another sigh, thinking of how selfless she actually was. She could have hid the dress, and then walked out of the store. But this dress would look perfect on Olivia. She just had no idea that it would look even more perfect on her.

Suddenly, the door opens again and Olivia walks out, beaming from ear to ear. It was almost as if the dress gave off even more of the glow that was already on her perfectly innocent skin. It feel against her body in a way that made her look stunning. Gabriella actually couldn't help but feel her mouth drop as she watches Olivia spin around in her dress. "What do you think?" She asks with the smile that wasn't going away anytime soon.

This was it, Gabriella could completely lie and tell her she didn't like it. Then Olivia wouldn't have the perfect dress, and Troy wouldn't see her in it. But, that was not how Gabriella was. So she smiles the brightest one she could muster through her jealousy as she lets out one more sigh. "If you don't get that dress, then you're insane."

Olivia's mouth beams an even larger smile if that was even possible. She turns back around and looks in the mirror, spinning around like a bride on her wedding day. "You really like it?"

Gabriella nods. "I love it." She says, not lying at all. "And so will Troy."

Olivia smiles and turns around. "I hope so." She says still beaming as she glances in the mirror one more time, spinning around. She then turns back to Gabriella. "I'll go change." She says while practically skipping towards the dressing rooms again and slamming the door in delight.

After she was done changing and they had paid for the dress, the two walk out of the little store. Gabriella eyes the white bag that was being held in Olivia's hands. She knew she did the right thing, but again she couldn't help but desperately wish that she could be Olivia. Perfect dress, perfect date. But then again, everything that revolved around Troy was perfect.

"We've been shopping for an hour and a half and you haven't even tried on a dress." Olivia says while Gabriella and she were walking to the food court. "You can't tell me there wasn't one in there you liked." She says as they sit down at a table built for two.

Her stomach suddenly tightens up. Should she tell her? What would happen if she did? After shopping with her for an hour and a half, Gabriella could call them friends. But did she really want to tell the girl who had Troy Bolton? "Well… err… I'm not going."

Olivia's eyes grow wide as she looks at her. "What?"

It was the same reaction everyone else was giving Gabriella. She sighs and shrugs. "I'm not going." She says while Olivia was still looking at her like she just gotten back from Jupiter or something.

"Why not?" She asks as Gabriella shrugs again.

"I don't know. I'm just really not in the mood to." She says while glancing at all of the people who were eating in the food court happily.

"You can't not go!" Olivia exclaims. "I know a bunch of people who are dying to ask you…"

Gabriella sighs and shakes her head. "It's not the getting a date thing. I just…" She starts to say, but then stops herself. She wasn't going to tell this girl the truth, that she'd rather not put herself through the stress of dress shopping and risk getting the desire to loose five pounds even though she was Anorexic a few months ago. "I really don't want to go."

Olivia sighs. "I really think you should." She says while Gabriella smiles a little.

Olivia Walker was sweet. She was nice, she was pretty, and she was compassionate. Gabriella liked her. She could see why Troy chose her. She was fun to be around and her view on life was so optimistic. Gabriella was happy that she had become friends with her, but there was still one problem that was in the back of her mind. She had Troy Bolton.

"Thanks, but I'm pretty set on not going." She says, telling the truth, even if people would be really upset about it.


	11. With Or Without You

Troy's body was pushed up against his locker as he held Olivia's hips in place

Troy's body was pushed up against his locker as he held Olivia's hips in place. She was smiling brightly at him while Taylor and Chad were standing next to them. It was the end of Monday, finally. They were standing in the empty hallway, all talking to one another about homecoming. To Troy, the day couldn't have gone by more slowly. This was probably because homecoming was the following weekend, and he could barely wait for it. "So… are you at least going to tell me what you dress looks like?" Troy asks while Taylor grabs Chad's hand and laces their fingers.

"I could even answer that question for you, no." Taylor responds for Olivia, who just giggles. It was probably the hundredth time Troy had asked her what her dress looked like, and she had said the same answer each time. He even asked Gabriella about four times, who would just get irritated and walk away.

"I need to know what kind of tie to get!" He exclaims while Olivia giggles again.

"Wear black, that's all you need to know." She says while Troy sighs angrily, knowing that he wasn't going to win this argument.. He had overhead Olivia gushing about how much she had loved her dress to the girls at lunch, while the other ones had done the same about their own dresses, except Gabriella. He was getting slightly curious; since he was pretty sure she hadn't been asked yet. That didn't make any sense, since all the guys usually swarmed it and normally it was Troy's job to protect her. Why wouldn't she get asked?

"Gabs told me about it. It sounds gorgeous." Taylor exclaims as though taunting Troy as he sighs and looks back down at his girlfriend.

"Did you hear about the after party at Sanborn's?" Chad asks while Troy could see him run his fingers over Taylor's knuckles. Troy finally lets go of Olivia's hips and connects their own fingers after seeing the stare that Taylor was giving them. It was almost as if she wished they would stop. But Taylor liked Olivia. So that didn't make any sense.

"Yeah… we're headed over there." Troy says while glancing down at Olivia, who nods as if confirming this was true.

"So how many couples are all in the dinner slash pictures group anyways?" Chad asks while Troy looks at Taylor, who seemed to be organizing everything.

She lets go of Chad's hand and lifts up her fingers to count on them. "It's just the gang. You two, Zeke and Sharpay, Kelsi and Jason, and then us." She says while Troy immediately picks up on the one girl who was missing. "So eight people."

Troy shakes his head. "No, ten."

Taylor looks at him like he's crazy. "Maybe you should go back to first grade, but there's eight."

He gives her a dirty look as Chad and Olivia both start laughing. "There's ten. You forgot Gabi and whoever the hell decides to ask her."

Taylor glances at Chad who both had nervous looks on their faces. What? What was going on? Was there something no one was telling him? He looks down at Olivia and could see that she had confusion written on her face. "Um… did you forget or something?" She asks while Taylor shuts her eyes as though she didn't want to watch the scene play out as Troy scrunches his eyebrows in confusion.

"Forget what?" He asks, completely obvious to what was going on. Taylor and Chad both give each other nervous looks, then back to the basketball captain.

"Nothing." Taylor says while Troy narrows his eyes while he looks at his girlfriend, completely ignoring her.

"About homecoming and Gabriella." Olivia says as though trying to remind him of something, but there was nothing to be reminded of.

His stomach was starting to turn. What did she mean homecoming and Gabriella? What aws going on? "What the hell are you talking about?" Troy asks in a somewhat scared voice while Chad and Taylor remain silent. What if it was something serious?

"About how she's not going?" Olivia says and both Taylor and Chad close their eyes at the same time, as though afraid to look at the reaction on Troy's body.

His stomach suddenly flips upside down. What? She wasn't going? No, there had to be a mistake there. She had to go. It was homecoming! She wouldn't miss homecoming for anything. "What do you mean, she's not going?" Troy asks, trying to keep himself calm but he could feel his anger starting to rise. His eyes turn away from his girlfriend to look at Taylor, who would know more.

"She didn't tell you?" Chad says, almost in shock.

Taylor timidly takes a step forward. "She's not going." She says simply with her eyes connected with Troy's.

No. She had to go. He wanted her to go. He wanted to be with her that night. Sure, he had his own girlfriend, but it wasn't like he was going to be attached at her hip all night. He knew he was going to be able to dance with his best friend. He was planning on it. So why wasn't she going? But his stomach suddenly drops at a new thought. "Why didn't she tell me?"

Chad has a confused look on his face, along with Olivia. Taylor seemed to be avoiding Troy's eyes. "I don't know. She didn't tell anyone. I didn't find out until Jeff asked her and she said no."

Troy's eyes grow wide as he could feel his piercing blue eyes start to cloud over in anger. They told each other everything. They were supposed to be best friend. So why would she hide this from him? It didn't make any sense at all. "But I'm her best friend!" Troy exclaims while running a hand through his hair. "Her best friend!"

"She didn't think it was important." Chad says while Troy's eyes grow wide again.

"You knew too? Great. I'm glad to see that the us telling each other everything thing is working otu." He says with bitterness in his voice. How could she not tell him?

"Maybe it just slipped her mind." Olivia says while trying to come up with an answer, but Troy shakes his head. He had to find out. He needed to know the real reason, otherwise it was going to tear him up inside.

"And I'm sure it just so happened to not slip her mind for everyone else?" Troy says while then shaking his head angrily. "I'll see you guys later."

All three of them stare at him in shock for actually getting upset over this. But she was his best friend! Why would she not tell him this? He turns on his heels and starts walking towards the front of the school, his black backpack on his back as he suddenly sees Olivia run in front of him and put her hands out. "Where are you going?"

"To talk to her." He says with the bitterness still in his voice. Chad and Taylor didn't stop him, since they understood more of why Troy was upset then what Olivia knew.

Olivia crosses her arms and shakes her head. "I don't think you should go. It's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal? She didn't tell me Liv!" He exclaims even though he knew Olivia wouldn't understand.

She shakes her head. "I know Troy, but it's homecoming and there's no reason to get upset over it."

Troy narrows his eyes at her for a moment. "Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do with my best friend alright?" Troy says defensively while walking around Olivia and making his way out the front door, to his black truck. After opening the door and then shutting it, he throws his backpack into the passenger seat and then starts the car.

After the short drive, he finds himself in front of the house that was all too familiar to him. He gets out of the car and slams the door shut. The garage door was closed, so he doesn't even bother going to the front. He immediately walks past the gate and slips his feet into the fence. Sure, it was a stupid thing to get mad over, but he was upset that Gabriella told everyone else, but him. He was her best friend, he should know first.

He doesn't even bother to knock on the window, but instead opens it up right away. He could see her small body lying on the bed, in the same clothes that she wore for school, reading a book that they were reading in English. "Hey." She says while closing the book and standing up. Troy shuts the balcony doors and turns to her angrily.

"Why the hell did you not tell me that you weren't going to homecoming?" He asks with anger in his voice. The small smile on Gabriella's face drops as she stares back at him, as though she was busted for a crime. Her eyes suddenly look down at her bed, away from him. That makes Troy angrier.

"It wasn't important." She says while playing with a string that was coming up from comforter. Troy wasn't yelling, but his voice and eyes that were now turned to a dark blue were enough.

"I found out from my girlfriend." He says with anger laced there. "My best friend who is supposed to tell me everything isn't going to homecoming, and I find out from my girlfriend." He says with his eyes narrowed on her. She wouldn't look at him, why wouldn't she look at him? "I'm so happy fourteen years made us so close." He says sarcastically as she finally looks up into his eyes. Her brown ones looked scared.

"It's not a big deal. So I'm not going to homecoming…" She says while Troy shakes his head.

"You didn't even fucking tell me!" He says with his voice threatening to rise but he tries his best to keep it at the same level it was before.

Gabriella's eyes suddenly become harder as she looks at him. The complete change in demeanor almost throws Troy completely off guard. "Do I have to tell you everything? You didn't tell me you met some chick while I was on vacation. It works two ways Troy." She says, with her voice now in the yelling range. Troy's mouth twitches a little as he takes a threatening step forward.

"That was different." He says even though he knew it wasn't at all.

Gabriella shakes her head and throws her arms up in a dramatic effect. "How is that different?"

"Because this is homecoming God damn it!" Troy exclaims, still keeping his voice at a threatening level, but not yelling. Gabriella crosses her arms over her stomach and lets her long-sleeved t-shirt roll up a little bit. "You're the fucking most popular girl in school and you're not going to homecoming."

"Oh yeah, that isn't superficial or anything." She says sarcastically as Troy shakes his head.

"You know I'm the furthest thing from superficial." He says dangerously as it was Gabriella's turn to shake her head.

"Why should it matter? Huh?" Gabriella asks.

Troy's fists tighten a little. "Because maybe I want my best friend to be there!" He exclaims as Gabriella shakes her head again.

"You have your fucking precious girlfriend." She says as her eyes finally start to gloss over and Troy could see a dim shade of red take over the white parts. His heart was starting to melt at the sight, but he didn't want to back down now. "You wouldn't be with me anyways."

Troy shakes his head. "She doesn't own me." He says with bitterness in his voice. "And you're just as fucking important."

Gabriella turns around and doesn't face him. He couldn't tell if it was because the tears in her eyes had finally fallen, or she just didn't want to look at him anymore. "She's your girlfriend Troy." She says in a lower voice as Troy shakes his head. "Of course she's more important."

Troy should have dropped his voice, but he didn't. He was too upset about the fact that she didn't tell him. "I've known you practically my whole fucking life Gabriella! Yeah, whatever she's my girlfriend, but we've been through so fucking much together! But I'm so glad that actually means something to you since you can't even bother to tell me you're not going to the fucking dance."

Gabriella suddenly spins around and Troy actually has to take a step back in shock. It was almost as if a wind was erupting behind her and he was almost certain that the glass windows were going to break with her anger. She didn't have tears in her eyes anymore, but she takes a step forward and it was if the whole house shook. "I'm sorry!" She screams in a high pitched voice that almost pierces his ears. "I'm sorry I didn't fucking tell you! I'm sorry you were too damn busy with Olivia. I'm sorry I don't want to go through what I fucking did during Sadie's! I'm sorry I really don't want to fucking be Bulimic then Anorexic again!"

By the time she was finished screaming so loud, the house shook, her body was trembling. Troy's mouth was hanging open at her outburst. Her small trembling body seems to be rebelling against her as she has to put a hand on the desk behind her to keep herself from falling. Troy closes his eyes and let out a breath, almost as if letting all the anger go from his body. He opens his eyes back again, almost feeling the dark blue turn back to a drowning blue. "Gab… I'm sor…"

"Yeah, I know." She says with bitterness in her voice as she shakes her head. Her thin fingers run through her hair as though she was trying to calm herself down. After a few breaths, her body seemed to have relaxed a little as she looks away from his eyes.

Troy takes a couple steps across her large room and stands in front of her. "I just wish you would have told me, and I wouldn't have found out from Liv." He says while placing his hands on her upper arms. Troy could feel her tremble beneath him, but that could have just been from the fact that they were arguing a moment ago.

Gabriella shrugs. "I'm sorry." She says and looks back up into his eyes. "It's just a dance; I didn't think you'd freak out."

Troy sighs as he shakes his head. "It's not that. You told everyone else but me. We're best friends Gab. If you're not telling me something this simple this, what else aren't you telling me?" He says while trailing his right hand down her arm and connecting their hands together in a lace. He completely forgot about the fact that he had a girlfriend again. Gabriella seemed to give him that effect.

She looks away from his eyes and down at the floor. "I just didn't think it mattered. You have Olivia to be with the whole night, so it's not like you'd be with me anyways." She says as Troy finally looks at her. She was biting her bottom lip as Troy finally saw what was going on here.

"You think I'm spending too much time with her don't you?" He asks as her eyes immediately shoot up. His mind was reeling back to the past almost month, realizing that what just came out of his mouth was true. He had only hung out with Gabriella once after he had started going out with Olivia, which was when they studied last week together.

She shakes her head slowly. "No, you're dating her. You have to spend time…"

"I don't care if I'm dating her or not." He says a little more forcefully as his hand squeezes hers. "Tell me the truth."

"It's…" She responds but then stops in mid-sentence.

"It's what?" He asks, desperately wanting to know.

Gabriella continues to stare into his eyes, as Troy finally notices how gorgeous they were. He knew they were before, but right now, it seemed that they were the most beautiful things that he had ever seen in his life. The deep, dark brown that seemed to be darker on the outside then the in. They were stunning, and he felt like he could drown in them. Wait, what? Weren't Olivia's supposed to be the ones he thought were beautiful? But he couldn't deny that Gabriella's were. What was going on? "I don't know."

Troy sighs as his hand that wasn't laced with hers reaches up and touches her cheek. He could feel a burning sensation at the impact point as Gabriella's face leans into his hand a little. Troy couldn't help but think the feeling he got from that was incredible. Why had he forgotten all of these feeling that she had given him? "Gabriella… talk to me."

Was it because he was spending too much time with Olivia that he forgot how Gabriella made him feel? He forgot the feeling of her small body pushed up against his. He forgot the way her skin glowed like the sun. He forgot the way her touch gave him electrical shocks all over his body. It seemed that he had forgotten so much about her, and didn't even realize until this moment that he missed her. Sure, he saw in the classes they had together, but that wasn't the same. Not at all.

"It's not that you're spending too much time with her." Gabriella explains as Troy could see the truth in her eyes. "It's more… I just miss us." She says but then her eyes grow wide after she says it. "Hanging out. I miss us hanging out."

Troy could almost feel his stomach drop at the last part of the sentence. But he recovers and then leans his forehead against hers. "I miss us too." He says without adding in the hanging out part.

He finally unlaces their fingers and then wraps his arms around her body. He could feel her head fall into the familiar place in the crook of his neck as she clings to him tightly. They just held each other, and Troy could feel his body pulsating with the feeling of her against him. Maybe it was just because he missed her so much subconsciously that now she was in his arms, he never wanted to let her go. Not for anything in this world.

But she pulls apart from him, against his wishes and drops her hands. Troy, on the other hand, keeps his hands on her waist, not wanting to let her go. He had to have physical contact with her, for some reason. "I'm gonna try to balance it more." He says in a lower voice as Gabriella shakes her head.

"I don't want to you to do this because you think you have to." She says while he shakes his head.

"I'm not. I'm doing it because I want to." He says while trying to bring her hips towards him, but she doesn't budge.

She sighs as she runs a hang through her hair. "Olivia's probably not going to be happy."

Troy shakes his head. "I don't care. You're my best friend, she's just gonna have to deal with it." He says while watching Gabriella's mouth form into a small smile. It reminded him that he was going to have to call her tonight and apologize for being an asshole at school, but for the moment, all he wanted to do was stay in Gabriella's room. "So… is there no way I can convince you to go?"

Gabriella shakes her head slowly as she finally grabs Troy's hands and removes them from her waist. He could feel the tingling from where they were a moment ago. "No, sorry." She says while he sighs.

"Even if you just come with us as a single?" He asks as she giggles a little and shakes her head. Troy realizes that he wouldn't have minded if Gabriella went singly.

"Then I would have six angry guys who would complain that I lied to them." She says while Troy's eyes grow wide. Six guys asked her? Since when? He really hadn't been paying attention.

"Six guys asked you?" He exclaims while his stomach was starting to turn to knots. A slight jealousy forms in his body, but he just figures it was because these guys had been talking to her probably more then he had. It was obvious that ever since he started going out with Olivia, the guys seemed to swarm her. He defiantly wasn't ok with that, but what could he do?

"Err… yea. And I told them I wasn't going." She says while Troy sighs.

"I wish you were." He says and Gabriella gives him a small smile.

"Would you rather me get stressed and start purging again?" She asks as though it was a joke. To Troy, it was the furthest thing from a joke.

"Fuck no." He says while then grabbing her arm and pulling him to her again. The action takes Gabriella by surprise but then he could feel her body mold to his.

"Then no, there's no way." She says against his neck and Troy's arms wrap tighter around her body, realizing that he never, ever wanted to let her go.

He just didn't realize at the time that he wouldn't have let her go even for Olivia.


	12. Every Breath You Take

There were certain days that stuck out in Troy's mind. The day that he scored his first basket. The day he found out he was the only freshman to make varsity. The day he broke his arm and had to be rushed to the hospital when he was eight. The day he met Gabriella. But there was one day that seemed to stick out in his head more then any other. It was the longest, worst day of his life. He never thought twenty-four hours could feel that long. Seconds felt like years that day. It was the turning point for him. In one moment, his life would never be the same again.

_Troy's hands were shaking a little. He was trying to take deep breaths, but it wasn't working. His piercing blue eyes were darting back and forth from every noise. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He had to do this right, or things could go completely wrong. It was life or death, and Troy at the moment was sitting between the two._

"_Can you pass the glue?" The girl asks in her sweet voice as Troy looks up at something that was so unfamiliar to him. You could see the cheek bones jutting out from her face as her neck looked like it could have been broken in half it you laid a finger on it. She reaches out her arm which was covered by a black fleece jacket that covered her arms that Troy knew were now no bigger than a toothpick. She was wearing a tan fitted short sleeved shirt on under that, but the jacket was covering her. She was also wearing jeans with two rips in the knees, hiding the legs that were almost as small as her arms. But was really scaring him the most was her face. She had huge bags under her eyes and her skin was tight against her bones. She was pale and her normally gorgeous brown eyes looked almost gray, since they were so emotionless._

"_Uh… yeah." Troy says finding his voice and passing her the glue. His hands were still shaking as she takes it from him and starts to glue something onto a giant poster board. It was lunch, and they were in the library working on a poster project. But Troy wasn't paying attention. For the past two weeks he had been trying to lead up to this moment. This moment that could either go horribly wrong, or work perfectly. He slowly takes a bite from his sandwich and then sets it back down on the table. He glances over to see that Gabriella hadn't brought any food, but he wasn't surprised._

_It was the beginning of March, and for the past month, Troy was on edge. He knew what was wrong with her, but he was too afraid to say anything, just to confirm it was true. Gabriella looked sickly. He noticed she was looking extremely thin a month and a half ago, but she had been saying how her mom was working constantly and she had to do a lot of the work at home. He believed it without a question, but when she started to loose even more weight, then Troy started getting concerned. He knew she had been on a diet before Sadie's, but that was two months ago. _

_Now, he had to talk to her. For two weeks he had been building up the courage to say something, but he was afraid. Either this was going to go great and she was going to say she'd get help, or it would blow up in his face. "So what do you think we should put here? I'm thinking we put the Holocaust stuff here." She points to the corner of the white poster. "And then the battles here." She points to a spot on the opposite side, but Troy wasn't listening. He could do this._

"_Yeah, sounds good." He says distantly. He had to do this, or he knew Gabriella would starve herself to death._

"_You ok? You're quiet." She says while glancing up at him with her dull eyes as Troy nods slowly. This was it. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?"_

_Troy looks down at his white warm up jacket that he was wearing in his jeans. The varsity basketball team had their championship tomorrow night, though Troy was nervous, it wasn't on his mind as much as she was. "I'm alright." He says while then looking down at the other sandwich he had made last night in preparation for this moment. "You want this? I'm not gonna have it."_

_Gabriella doesn't even glance up as she shakes her head. "No, I had a huge breakfast, I'm not hungry." She says while marking the poster with a pencil. _

_There was only one librarian in the room, but she was all the way on the other side and the two were behind a few book cases, so they couldn't be seen. Troy takes a huge breath, knowing this was it. Everything that he had been building up to was going to happen right now. "Gab… we gotta talk."_

_Gabriella's eyes finally look up as the dull eyes connect with the piercing blue. Her eyebrows narrow a little as she puts down her pencil and stares at him with concern. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, amplifying the thinness in her cheeks as Troy knew that this had to be done. He was her best friend, and he was scared to death. "Are you ok?"_

_Troy takes another deep breath. "I'm fine, but I'm worried about you."_

_Gabriella's face suddenly falls. She shakes her head and looks back down at her paper, avoiding his eyes. "I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about."_

_Troy moves from around the table and stands adjacent to her. "Gab… you're sick." He says boldly as she glances up at him and then back down at the paper._

"_I'm getting a cold, it's not a big deal…" She starts to say._

"_Not that way." Troy cuts her off as Gabriella's hand stops moving. She just stares down at the poster as Troy takes another deep breath. "You've looked sick for awhile, and I'm really worried."_

_Gabriella continues to just stare down at the paper. "You don't need to worry, I'm fine." She says as he watches one of her curls on her ponytail fall down in front of her face. Her hair wasn't as thick and shinny as it was months ago. It looked dull and lifeless, just like her eyes._

"_Gab, I can't remember the last time you've eaten lunch." He says in a soft voice, trying not to sound accusingly. She doesn't move so he decides to go on. "You're thinner than a toothpick and you just look sick." He says while Gabriella remains silent. "You need to eat."_

_Gabriella's eyes look up. She looked paler then what she did a moment ago as she shakes her head. "I am eating." She says in a hard voice that soundly over confident. _

_Troy shakes his head. "Don't lie to me Gab. I'm not stupid." He says while Gabriella shakes her head and stands full way up, as though trying to measure up to him, but she came short._

"_I can't believe you would accuse me of not eating!" She exclaims in a louder voice then before. Troy actually takes a step back in shock as she was sending fire towards him. Troy knew that even though she was trying to defend herself, it was just making him know she was sick. He had looked up Anorexia Nervosa two weeks ago on his computer for symptoms. Extreme weight loss, always feeling cold, not eating around others, thinning hair, and irritability were just a few. She was falling into all of those categories. "I'm not crazy Troy!"_

_He takes a deep breath. "I never said you were! Gabriella, you don't understand. You look sickly thin."_

"_No I don't." Gabriella shoots back and Troy takes a step forward to her and places his hands on her arms._

"_Yes you do. You need help ok?" He says while she pushes him off of her and then grabs the sandwich that was in the plastic bag by his brown bag._

"_I don't need help. I'm fine!" She says while ripping the sandwich out and shoving it into her mouth. Troy was astonished by how insane she was acting. "See? Eating. Happy?" She says while chewing and then swallowing slowly. "I can't believe you would accuse me of that." She says while throwing the sandwich down and then grabbing her bag. "We'll finish this later."_

"_Gab…" Troy calls out to stop her, not believing a word she just said._

"_Leave me alone!" She calls back but then Troy hears the librarian angrily try to get them to be quiet. Troy sighs as he watches her storm out of the library. That went exactly how he was afraid it was going to. He sighs and he slips down onto the chair that she was sitting in before. She was a sophomore in high school! How did he let this go on?_

_He picks up the project and puts everything into a bag that was holding their stuff. Why didn't he stop this back at Sadie's? Maybe if he had just stopped her before it got out of hand, then she would have been ok. It felt like it was his fault. He let her down, and he knew it._

_After dropping off all of the supplies in the history room, Troy wanders through the hallway that was half full, since it was still lunch time. He walks to his locker and suddenly feels a presence next to him. "Hey man, I thought you were going that World War II thing with Gabs." Chad says while Troy looks to the side at his afro and shakes his head._

"_I did. But, we got into an argument." He says while opening his locker. He didn't even know why he did, since he didn't need anything. His body was in a trance. How could he let this get out of control?_

"_About what?" Chad asks as Troy looks to the side and sighs._

_Before he could answer, he suddenly looks behind Chad to see a dark girl running to them. Troy rolls his eyes, since now he was going to have to sit and watch Chad and Taylor flirt or make out for the rest of the lunch period. He turns back to his locker and shuts it, then sees Chad hadn't turned around yet. "You're girlfriend's running over here."_

"_TROY!" He hears someone yells and suddenly finds Taylor was who it came from. His eyes narrow a little in confusion at the fact that she didn't even acknowledge the fact that her boyfriend was standing right there. Her dark face was pale and she looked like she had just seen Hitler's ghost. Her body was shaking slightly as she grabs his hand. "Come on."_

"_Whoa, Tay, what's going on?" Troy asks as she tries to pull him, but he wasn't moving._

"_There's no time." She says as Troy glances at Chad to see that he had a confused look on his face also._

"_What the hell?" Chad asks while Taylor never looks at him, her eyes were locked on Troy's._

"_Gabs… in the bathroom…she was gonna…" Taylor manages to get out. Troy's eyes grow wide as his stomach drops. Oh no, that wasn't good. His body was put into shock, but then he knew he had to do something._

"_Shit." He mumbles while suddenly sprinting past Taylor towards the girls' bathroom. _

* * *

Gabriella smiles up at the brown haired boy as he leans up against the locker next to hers and shakes his head at her. "I still can't believe you're not going." He exclaims as Gabriella rolls her eyes. She leans against her own as it seemed the rest of the school was walking by them. It was lunch on the Friday before homecoming and everyone was decked out in spirit wear for the football game tonight. Gabriella was wearing a loose men's basketball jersey that Troy stole from his dad and dropped it off last night, along with a red beater underneath. She was also wearing red shorts and high red and white socks. After lunch was the pep rally, which everyone seemed to be ecstatic for.

"Sorry Cody." She says to the senior who was wearing jeans and his white and red football jersey since they all had to dress up in their jerseys. Three more people had asked her since the original six, and she all turned them down. Everyone seemed to be shocked that she wasn't going, since he was one of the most popular girls at East High. But she wasn't bothered by her decision, or feeling left out after talking to everyone else about their plans for dinner and things of that nature. "I'm just not in a dance mood really." She lies and Cody smirks.

"Are you in an after party mood?" Cody asks while Gabriella looks at him and laughs a little. "Cuz I'm having an after party. Everyone's gonna be there." He says while Gabriella smiles a little.

"Thanks, but I'm not going to homecoming, so how can I go to a homecoming after party?" She asks while Cody shrugs. "I'll pass."

Cody shrugs again. "Suit yourself. The invitation's still open if you're interested." He says while Gabriella smiles a little and nods. "Just think about it alright?"

Even though she knew she wasn't going to go, she nods anyways. Suddenly, she could feel a presence next to them as her stomach flips forty times. The piercing blue eyed boy smiles down at her and then looks at Cody, holding out his hand which Cody takes and they do a guy handshake thing. "What's up man?"

After their talk last week, Troy had stayed true to his word. He and Gabriella had both went to the movies by themselves and then hung out at her house over the weekend, even though her dad was watching them like hawks. He was also making more of an effort to be around her during school as well. If it bothered Olivia, she wasn't showing it. Gabriella and Olivia had also talked a lot more last week and this week. They weren't best friends, and Gabriella knew they wouldn't be, but they were friends now, and that made Troy ecstatic. "I'm just trying to talk your girl over here to come to the after party since she's not going to the dance."

Troy didn't seem to notice the fact that Cody had just called her 'his girl', or if he did, he didn't correct him. He laughs a little as he scratches his head. Gabriella thought he looked incredibly hot in his basketball jersey, black shorts, and then high white socks. He also had a black line below each eye on his cheeks. "You'd better come." Troy says to her and she smiles a little at him.

"Yeah, ok Troy." She says sarcastically as Cody then turns to her.

"I gotta go. But I'll talk to you later alright?" He says while leaning down and giving her a quick hug before nodding at Troy. "Later Bolton."

"See ya man." Troy says as he leaves. Troy then turns back to Gabriella who was looking up at him. "You're going."

She rolls her eyes. "Would you leave me alone?" She asks in more of a joking manner then actually being serious. "God, you're like my father."

Troy shakes his head. "No, cuz your dad hates me." He says as Gabriella rolls her eyes again and hits his chest.

"He does not." She says as she looks over to see that Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, Zeke, Jason, and Kelsi were all walking towards them. She could see that Olivia looked like she was talking to Julia about something.

"Gabriella… We've decided that we're going to kidnap you tomorrow. So look hot." Sharpay says as Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"Thanks, but I'm pretty sure I'll be fine." She says while Sharpay rolls her eyes and looks down at her nails that were fake. She had probably gotten them done last night for tomorrow.

"That's a good idea." Troy says while raising his eyebrows as Gabriella rolls her eyes again. He could be an idiot sometimes. A lot of sometimes. But that was one of the reasons she loved him so much.

"So what are you gonna do?" Kelsi asks.

"Guys, it's not a big deal. It's just homecoming." She exclaims for the thousandth time as Sharpay rolls her brown eyes again.

"It is a big deal. It's homecoming." Sharpay says but the shakes her head. "Oh well, if you wanna be a boring bitch about it, that's fine with me."

It was Gabriella's turn to roll her eyes as Troy does the same thing. She sneaks a glance from him and feels her heart lift up as he smirks at her. She looks away, almost shyly, trying to remind herself that he had a girlfriend, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

"Hey!" She hears another voice add in as she looks over and feels her stomach drop a little. Olivia walks up to Troy and kisses him on the cheek while then lacing her fingers with his. Gabriella could see Sharpay roll her eyes as Taylor gives the blonde a dirty look.

"What'd she want?" Troy asks while Gabriella could see Olivia's hand raise and play with the ring that was hanging on her neck. Jealousy spreads throughout Gabriella's body, wanting that ring to be hers. But as her eyes were drawn to Olivia's neck, they were also drawn to a small purple and red sore that was sitting on the inside of her neck, with her hair down, trying to hide it. Gabriella's eyes grow wide as she looks between the couple. Fire shoots through her body as she realizes that it was a hickey.

"She just wanted to know if I was going to the party after the game tonight. We didn't talk this morning since I was rushed out the door, since someone wanted to leave early." She says while looking at Troy.

"Hey, it's not my fault you called and wanted to be picked up this morning." He says while Gabriella's eyes weren't leaving the spot on her neck. Troy had marked her, and she desperately wanted to be the one with the mark on, not Olivia.

"You're not skipping the party tonight are you?" Chad asks while Gabriella finally looks away from the hickey and at him. She shakes her head in responds.

"No, I'll be there." She says while she suddenly hears a gasp beside her.

"What is THAT?" Sharpay exclaims while pointing to Olivia's neck. Olivia's eyes grow wide, along with Troy's as she reflexively puts her hand up to her neck and tries to hide it, but it seemed that everyone was now looking at it. Gabriella leans back against her locker and smirks a little. She deserved it if the mark was from Troy, which it was.

"I just… burnt my neck on the curling iron this morning." She says while Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"Really?" She says, not trying to be a smart ass but couldn't help but be jealous.

"What's the brand of it? The TroyBolton model?" Sharpay asks with her arms crossed as Olivia turns redder then what she was already.

"Sharpay!" Taylor scolds with the guys were snickering, except Troy who was looking as red as the basketball jersey he was wearing.

"What? It's not like you've never gotten one." She says while looking Taylor up and down.

"I don't think you should point it out though." Taylor responds while Gabriella was laughing at how the scene was unfolding.

"Oh please." Sharpay says. "Even Kelsi gets them."

Gabriella's eyes shift over to Kelsi who had just turned a beat red color also. She almost shrinks back towards Jason who had immediately stopped laughing. "Shar, chill." Zeke exclaims while pulling her back to his chest. Gabriella rolls her eyes as she turns to Olivia.

"Come here." She says while turning around and opening her locker. The rest of the gang was still talking about hickey's as Olivia lets go of Troy's hand and walks over to where Gabriella was. Troy's eyes were on his girlfriend and best friend, with a small smile on his face.

"Is it that bad?" She asks while Gabriella pulls out her spare make up bag and grabs powdered cover up.

"Not really." Gabriella lies, even though praying that it would just suddenly go away and never be there in the first place.

Olivia's eyes look into her locker and look up and down for something. Gabriella's eyebrows raise for a moment in curiosity until Olivia finally looks at her. "Um… where's your mirror?"

Gabriella's stomach drops. Her body tenses up as her eyes immediately turn to look at the brown-haired-blue-eyed-boy who was staring at her with confusion written on his face. It was obvious that he couldn't hear what they were saying, but Gabriella face was enough to have concern on his.

"Um…" She had to think of a lie quickly. "I don't have one. I just forgot to get one this year and never got around to picking one up." She says in a higher voice then normal.

"Oh… that's weird." Olivia says. It wasn't a big deal or anything, but Gabriella felt slightly awkward with Olivia asking questions that had to relate to her eating disorder.

"I guess." Gabriella says as she grabs a brush and opens up the cover up. "Hold still." She instructs as she lightly brushes the power onto Olivia's perfect skin. Gabriella's tone was darker then Olivia's, but it was ok since all she was trying to do was hide the hickey. When she was done, she pulls away and looks to see there was a brown spot darker then Olivia's skin, but other than that it looked normal. "Much better."

"Should I be concerned with the fact that you're an expert at that?" She could hear the perfect voice fill her ears as a blush erupts on her cheek. Troy drapes his arm around Olivia who was smiling thankfully at Gabriella.

"No." She says. Suddenly the bell rings and everyone shoots out of classrooms in cheers. Grins spread on everyone's faces as they turn to face the hallway.

"Let's go Wildcats, let's go!" Cheers could be shouted as Troy turns back and faces both his best friend and his girlfriend. He smiles at Gabriella, who's cheeks become red in a small blush.

"Let's go, I wanna get a good spot." He says even though Gabriella knew no one would dare tell Troy to move to the back of the bleachers. But he grabs her arm anyways, while holding onto Olivia's hand, and starts to make their way down the hallway.


	13. On My Own

It didn't feel right.

The black truck was glinting in the sun as a pair of piercing blue eyes in it were staring straight ahead, but not really looking at anything. His smooth hair was flat against his head as his black tie was sitting uncomfortably on his neck, and he felt like it was cutting off his circulation. His white shirt lay on his chest with the black pants and his black tie. The scent of his cologne was filling the truck as his eyes glance towards his girlfriend's house. The dance would be starting soon, and he had come to pick Olivia up since his parents left for pictures by themselves. This didn't feel right.

But Gabriella should have been right. It shouldn't have been a big deal since Troy would be with Olivia for most of the night. But why couldn't he help but feel like this was completely wrong? Maybe it was just the fact that he and Gabriella had practically been dates since freshman year. Now, she wasn't even coming at all, and Troy felt almost depressed about it. He wanted to see her dressed up and gorgeous. He wanted to see her glow. He wanted to see her for once in tight clothing that showed off her perfect body. He just wanted to see her.

A sigh erupts from his throat as he finally opens the car door up and gets out of the car. His eyes look back up to the house again. The air was still warm and he could see that the wind was playing with the leaves on the trees gently. The sun was starting to set slowly as the days were starting to get shorter as they got more into fall. The plan was to go over to Sharpay's, take pictures, go to the dance, then go to the after party where Troy was staying the night, along with the other half of the school. But Troy almost wasn't looking forward to it. All week he had been pumped to go, especially last night when he was celebrating East High dominating the homecoming game. But Gabriella was there. Now, she wasn't.

He walks up the walkway to the front door and closes his eyes. He shouldn't be thinking about Gabriella right now. He should be focused on his girlfriend and how he would finally get to see her dress. He should be thinking about the way her body would move against his at the dance. But he couldn't get himself to focus on that. As his legs pick up one after the other on the steps, he couldn't get Gabriella out of his mind. Why couldn't she just come? Why couldn't she be stronger? He knew he was being selfish right now. It should have been first priority that Gabriella stayed away from anything that could make her fall back into that destructive pattern again, but God he wanted to be with her.

The brown door creeks open as Troy's eyes look up and suddenly lock on the girl standing in the doorway. She looked beautiful, more then beautiful, she looked stunning. The orange dress amplified all of her features as her hair was pulled up half way with large curls falling down to frame her face. Her make-up seemed to be done with perfection as he stares at his girlfriend like he was seeing her for the first time. Almost for a split second, he couldn't help but think how incredible the dress was, and how incredible his best friend would look in it. But he shoves that thought away as he smiles his bright white smile at her. "You look stunning."

Olivia's lips curve into a smile as she leans against the door a little. "Thanks." She says somewhat shyly as Troy smiles brightly at her. She looked unbelievable. Gabriella obviously had good taste for picking out the dress. "You wanna come in for a second? I have to find my purse."

Troy steps into the doorway into a house that was now very familiar to him. The oak on the walls seemed very elegant, a little too elegant for his liking, but it was ok. He watches as she walks into the kitchen. His eyes follow her as he could hear something moving around in there. "You want help?" He asks.

"No… sorry, my Aunt and Uncle left a few minutes ago to go take pictures for Julia." She says while he could hear more things moving. "And Allen's sleeping over at someone's house… got it!" She exclaims and then comes around the corner again with her purse in one hand and a white box in the other, holding what he knew was a boutonniere, Troy taking in how incredible the dress looked. "Thanks for letting me get doubles from your parents. I figured Julia would want both her parents there since she's on court."

"It's cool." Troy responds while shrugging a little. "My parents love you anyways."

Troy watches as her mouth forms a perfect smile, but couldn't help but see Gabriella's own in it. Olivia's was filled so much with energy, the way Gabriella's did before she became Anorexic and before he and Olivia started dating.

Troy nods in understanding as he couldn't take his eyes off the dress. "You wanna get going?" He asks while she nods slowly and then puts the back purse around her shoulder. Troy suddenly remembers that he never even kissed her when he walked in the door. So he walks up to her and leans down, connecting their lips together for a brief moment before inclosing her in a hug. "I can't get over how incredible you look."

"You look great too." She responds as he takes her hand and leads her towards his black truck. They hop inside and Troy pulls out of the driveway, lacing his hand with hers in the process while Olivia begins talking to him. He wasn't paying attention though. He couldn't help but think about what Gabriella was doing right now. She was probably at home, sitting on her couch curled up with her purple blanket. He desperately wanted her to be there, but there was absolutely nothing to do about it now.

"…so, how big is Sharpay's house?" Olivia asks ten minutes later, bringing Troy out of his trance as he glances at her. He turns his turn signal on and glances at her, with a small smirk on his face.

"That's how big." He says as he pulls into the long driveway that had a gate in the front and trees surrounding it for privacy. Olivia's eyes grow wide as they pull in further to reveal the huge white house sitting in the woods. It was a mansion, and Troy knew there was a pool in back. It was probably the biggest house in all of Albuquerque, but Troy wouldn't expect anything less from Sharpay.

He parks next to what looked like Jason's car as he then unlocks the doors and Olivia hops out. Troy smiles a little as he could see the pool from around the corner, reminding him of a time that Gabriella almost drown in there when she was 13 after he tried to dunk her. She obviously didn't. God, why couldn't he stop thinking about Gabriella?

After walking up the front steps with their hands laced, Troy rings the doorbell and the door was immediately opened with a man standing there in an all black coat. He had a scruntched up face that Troy knew looked too snooty as he looks down at the two teenagers. "They're in the back." He says without a welcome as he opens the door more and they walk inside.

Olivia was looking around in amazement at the huge house Troy had been in a million times. He leads her out to the back where they open the huge doors to walk into a garden next to the pool. The parents were all talking with one another, and he could point out his own, while the juniors were standing a little off to the side. Both Kelsi and Sharpay looked gorgeous in their dresses, while Troy noticed that Chad and Taylor were missing, while both of their parents were there. That was weird.

"Hey guys." Troy greets them as all four turn around. A smile break out onto Kelsi's face as Sharpay raises her eyebrows at his girlfriend. Troy just assumes that it's because she probably looked so much better then Sharpay did, but it was just a hunch. He does his guy handshake thing with Zeke and Jason.

"What's up man?" Jason says while Troy looks to the side to see Kelsi was giving Olivia a hug.

"You look gorgeous." The small girl says as Olivia's eyes look up and meet Troy's. He gives her a small smile, knowing that Kelsi was right, but his head really wasn't there right now. It was back at the familiar white house with his best friend.

"Thanks, so do you." Olivia says in her sweet voice and then turns to Sharpay. "And Sharpay, that dress looks phenomenal."

"I know, isn't it fabulous?" She states while Troy rolls his eyes at her self-centeredness.

"Yeah Shar, you look great." Troy says while half paying attention, half thinking about Gabriella.

"I cannot wait to get this tie off." Jason complains while trying to adjust the tie on his neck. Zeke and Troy both roll their eyes, knowing that they would have to go through the exact same thing tonight.

"But you look so good in it." Kelsi says and Troy smiles a little. They never really flirted in public, since Kelsi was so shy, but he was happy they were showing at least a little bit tonight. Gabriella would have been ecstatic, since she thought the two were adorable together.

"Where's Tay and Chad?" Troy asks while Sharpay grabs a hold of Zeke's hand and Jason puts an arm around Kelsi. Troy then grabs his own girlfriend's hand and feels her give him a small squeeze, which he doesn't return.

Kelsi looks over at Sharpay and Zeke. Zeke returns the look while Sharpay looks down at her nails. "They went…"

"…To go get food for the after party." Kelsi cuts in before Sharpay could finish. The blonde looks over at the small girl with a raised eyebrow as Kelsi nods to confirm the story. Zeke's face nods also while Troy looks at Jason who had a confused look on his face.

"I thought they went…" He starts.

"To the bank too? Yeah, Chad had to pick up some money." Zeke fills in saying all too quickly. Troy raises his eyebrows. Did Chad even know what a bank account was?

"Are they coming soon?" Olivia asks with a small amount of concern in her voice. Troy smiles a little, thinking it was cute how innocent his girlfriend really was. But he lets out a sigh again when he thought about how alone Gabriella was going to be. Why couldn't she have just come?

"Yeah… they should be here any minute now." Kelsi informs them while looking at the back door in the process. Troy glances at the door also, but then sighs when he sees no movement. Maybe she'd call him later tonight. Or maybe he should call her. One or the other. He desperately needed to have some contact with her though. It was tearing him up inside. But it shouldn't! He had the most gorgeous girl at his side right now, what more could he possibly want?

Oh yeah, his best friend.

* * *

Her eyes stare into the mirror.

They travel from her face, down to her feet. Her eyes tried to focus on her face, but they kept traveling down to her stomach that was covered by a blue tank top and a black fleece jacket that she wore on one of the longest days of her life. It was almost as if certain clothes represented certain days, and this fleece jacket was one of them. She was also wearing a pair of light jeans that fit to her body perfectly, though she was trying to hardest to tell herself they at least looked decent. Her long hair was curled and fell down over her face. She wasn't trying to impress anyone, there was no need to. It was homecoming, so everyone would be out for the night. Even though she had no idea why she had decided jeans, it was just a thing she picked out.

Gabriella's eyes finally rip away from the mirror as she lets out a sigh and leans her hands up against the counter of the bathroom. She faces the shower and bathtub, absorbing what was going on right now. Was she starting to regret her decision about not going to homecoming? Yes. Not to the point where she wanted to go, but to the point where she wished there was something to do. But then her eyes close and she imagines Olivia's perfect body in the perfect orange dress grinding up against the perfect boy. That image right there wanted to make Gabriella throw up.

Her eyes rip open again as she stairs at the white colored tile on her bathtub wall. A sigh erupts from her throat as she opens the door to the hallway and walks downstairs, her mother standing in the kitchen, helping her father put on a green tie.

"It won't go!" Mr. Montez exclaims as Gabriella giggles a little.

"Just hold still Jose." Maria responds as Gabriella giggles again and clears her throat a little while walking into the kitchen further, making herself known. Both of her parents look to her daughter who was giving them a small smile. "Ella! We didn't even hear you come down." Her mother exclaims while Gabriella smiles a little.

"You guys look nice." Gabriella says while looking at her father's kaki pants with a white dress shirt and a green tie. She also spotted a black sport's jacket hanging over the edge of the chair near them. Her mother was wearing black pants with a long red top and bright lipstick.

"Thanks sweetie." Her father says while Mrs. Montez finally gets the tie to work. He walks over to his daughter and gently kisses her on the head before turning back to Mrs. Montez.

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay with you?" Her mom asks while Gabriella rolls her eyes. She had heard this speech about four times already. They had made dinner plans for that night since they had thought that Gabriella was going to homecoming for sure. They had taken it by complete surprise when she told them that she wasn't going, and her mother was now a satellite to her, contently making sure she was eating or wasn't depressed. "I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. O'Donnell wouldn't mind if we canceled..."

Gabriella gives both her parents a small smile while feeling her father's hand rub her upper arm soothingly. "It's alright." She responds, even though she knew she was going to be lonely tonight. It was just something she was going to have to deal with. It was either be lonely and healthy, or risk the chance of going back into Bulimia, then Anorexia and go to a dance where she could watch her best friend fall even harder for a girl who wasn't her. She's pick being lonely.

"We won't be out late." Her dad says and gives her a gentle kiss on the head. "And if you go anywhere, just give us a call." He says almost as if in hope that she would decide to go somewhere.

"Ok… I doubt it though. Troy promised to hang out with me tomorrow." She says, although knowing that it would probably be they would pop in a movie and Troy would sleep, because she knew he would have the hangover of the century tomorrow.

Her father's eyes narrow at the sound of her best friend's name. "Troy is coming over tomorrow?" He asks while Gabriella nods. "I see…"

"Stop it Jose." Gabriella's mom says while hitting her husband's arm. Suddenly, a ringing echoes through the house and it took a moment for Gabriella to realize that it was the doorbell. She watches as her mother turns towards the door. "I'll get it." She says as the heels click against the hardwood floor.

"They're early." Mr. Montez mumbles as Gabriella smiles a little. "If you need anything, just call me on my cell."

"I know Dad, I know." Gabriella responds. Her deep brown eyes look up to see her mother standing in the doorway to the kitchen with a small smile on her face. "You have company."

Gabriella's eyebrows rise as she looks at the clock. What? Everyone should be getting ready for the dance now. Or at least taking pictures. She glances at her father who looked just as confused as she did, but then walks towards where her mother was now standing out of the way. Her eyes suddenly lock on two dark people who were beaming at her while her own smile grows on her face.

"What the hel…" She starts but then remembers her parents were in the other room. "…er… heck are you doing here?" She exclaims while looking at the beaming couple. But Gabriella's smile was huge as she looked at her best girl friend. Her hair was pulled up into an elegant twist as she had a plum purple dress on that fit her curves. Chad on the other hand was looking amazing in a black dress shirt, white tie, and black pants. His hair even looked a little more tame then normal.

"Kidnapping you." Chad responds while Gabriella stops in her doorway and feels Taylor throw her arms around her in a hug that she returns. She looks over her shoulder to see that Chad was beaming like there was an eight pound stake sitting in front of him.

"What?" Gabriella asks confused as Taylor pulls away from her and continues to show her bright white teeth through her glossed lips.

"Well… I decided to bring two dates." Chad exclaims while pulling out his wallet and holding up three yellow tickets. The deep brown eyes grow wide as she places a hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe they would do that for her. Taylor was beaming as Gabriella's mind was wiped clean for a moment.

"I don't have a dress…" She starts to say as Taylor shakes her head.

"We have you covered." She says while Gabriella finally noticed a turquoise colored material hanging on the door that she found strangely familiar. "We know Shar's a little bigger then you, but she said this dress was the smallest she had."

Gabriella looks from both of her friends in complete shock. How could they do this for her? This was incredible!

But then her smile falls as she looks back at the dress more. No. There was no way she could go. She had already made up her mind and there was no way that she would be able to sit there with all of the thin girls in their dresses and not feel like she'd want to purge. Plus, there was absolutely no way she'd be able to watch Troy and Olivia. No way. "This is amazing. Thank you, so much, but I'm not going."

Taylor's gorgeous face falls as does her boyfriends. Gabriella sighs as she looks at the both of them, with sadness written across their faces. "But, we got you a ticket and everything." Taylor exclaims.

Gabriella sighs again. "I know. And you guys are incredible. I love you so much for this." She says while closing her eyes. "I just can't go."

"We have time for you to get changed, and all we have to do is throw your hair up…" Taylor starts to rebut but Gabriella shakes her head.

"I'm not going." She says in a more powerful voice.

Chad sighs as he takes a step forward. Her places a hand on her upper arm and she was almost certain that he learned this trick from Troy. Troy always had to touch her when he wanted her to do something she didn't. But this wasn't Troy, so the effect was useless. "If this is about Troy…"

Gabriella shakes her head as she stares into Chad's almost black eyes. "This isn't about Troy. It has nothing to do with him, or Olivia, or anything like that." She says half-truthfully as she was trying her hardest to get him to understand. "It's about me, and making sure I'm healthy."

She could hear a gasp behind her as her head turns around to see her mother trying to stand discretely away, but it was useless. It was probably one of the first times Gabriella ever said she wanted to try to be healthy out loud. Taylor's eyes that were filled with shock before now had understanding glossed in them. Her eyes look back to Chad who still looked frustrated. "It's one night Gabs…"

"And one night could screw everything up." She responds and sighs again. "What you did for me is sweet, but I'm not going." She says with the strongest voice that time.

Taylor nods slowly as she walks over to where Gabriella was standing and places her arms around her. Gabriella for some strange reason could feel tears burn in the back of her eyes as she held her best girl friend tighter. "If you're sure…" Taylor says and Gabriella could hear her voice crack a little.

"You look gorgeous." Gabriella whispers as Taylor rubs her back for a brief moment.

They finally let go as the deep brown eyes connect with the almost black. Chad walks over as her picks her up in his arms and holds her tighter than anyone could ever imagine. The tears that were burning suddenly fall down Gabriella's cheeks, since she couldn't believe how amazing her friends were. Chad's arms felt warm and comforting against her body, as she feels him squeeze tighter if that was even possible. "He's gonna see what he's missing… I promise." Chad whispers so only Gabriella could hear.

"He's not missing anything." She responds as she could feel the ends of his afro brush up against her head.

"The guy's too stupid to see what's in front of him right now." He says while Gabriella lets out a watery laugh. "I'm gonna have to beat it into him soon."

Gabriella giggles a little as she finally pulls away and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "That could get messy."

Chad shakes his head and finally lets go of her. "It'd be worth it to get it through his fucking thick skull."

Gabriella swears she hears a cough from the other room at Chad's language, but just ignores it. Taylor sighs as she laces her hand with Chad's and looks at her again. "Are you sure you don't want to come?" She begs while Gabriella lets this weigh for a moment. She could go, it would be so easy. But it was so much easier and sounded so much sweeter not to.

"I'm sure." She responds as they both give her sad smiles.

"How 'bout Sanborn's party?" He asks.

Gabriella shakes her head. "I have a date with the couch, a blanket, and the TV tonight." She says while Taylor shakes her head in disappointment. "But have fun… and tell everyone else to have fun too." She says while staring into Chad's eyes as if to tell a certain person this.

Chad nods in understanding as he places an arm around Taylor's body. "We'll tell Troy." He responds while Gabriella smiles sadly, knowing that was the exact person she was thinking of.


	14. I Wanna Dance With Somebody

One wouldn't be able to tell it was a high school gym.

The walls and bleachers were covered with a mural with a dark background and what looked like beautiful European buildings everywhere painted by the art club. Christmas lights were stringing from one side of the gym to the other in a canopy above the small white tables located in the back of the gym along with the DJ and the huge dance floor. The normal lights were off as the Christmas lights illuminated the fake statues of the Arc de Triumph where you could take pictures and the Eiffel tower sitting in the other corner. Multicolored lights were flashing everywhere as the center of the gym was a huge dance floor, though the teenagers only needed half of it since they were pushed to one side, in a mob.

Troy's hands drop lower as he could feel the rhythm pulsating through his body, telling him to just let go. Sweat was dripping down the side of his face as he could feel the warm body pushed up in front of him. Her butt was rubbing dangerously against his pelvis in a grind. He could feel her hand on the back of his neck, trying to draw him closer to her. He could hear her pants in front of him, and it would have been enough to turn any guy on. His girlfriend was breaking out of her normally shy shell and couldn't get any sexier. It should have been perfect.

Except Troy couldn't stop thinking about Gabriella.

His head turns around towards the doors to the gym and he tries his hardest to look over the people behind him towards the door for the fiftieth time that night, almost praying that she would just come walking in. Troy and Olivia were pushed up towards the front with the seniors and a few of the lucky juniors who managed to get there. He was almost wishing desperately to go back so he could stare at the door, just incase she decided to show up.

"Dude!" He hears someone call, breaking him out of his trance as he looks over a little next to him to see Chad's hands were on Taylor's waist while he was shaking his head at Troy, as if to say 'She's not coming'. He sighs, wishing he didn't have to believe that. A guy could hope, couldn't he?

Their group had taken pictures after Chad and Taylor arrived from where ever they were at Sharpay's house. After that, they had all gone to a little Italian restaurant, with Troy's mind barely there the whole time. Then they had arrived here, and after talking to their other friends for awhile, Troy and Olivia took a picture and then headed to the dance floor, where they've been ever since. But he could barely feel what was going on right now. It was like he was in a trance, a shell. His body was there, going through the motions while his mind was with Gabriella, whatever she was doing.

How could she not come? She was the most popular girl probably in the whole school, and she didn't come to homecoming. At this point, Troy wouldn't have even cared if she came with some other guy. He just desperately needed her to be there. To be able to see how gorgeous she was with the tight dress she'd wear on. To be able to hear her laugh at how amazing of a time she was having. But what scared Troy the most was he wanted to be able to feel her body pushing up against his groin, maybe as much as he wanted Olivia to be there right now.

But it had to be because the two were inseparable. Troy was convinced that the only reason he was getting these feelings was because it would have been the first dance with out her there. It felt empty, wrong, depressing. Why couldn't she just be comfortable with her body? Why was she depriving him of her?

"It's so hot." Olivia yells while leaning back against his shoulder as his head reflexively drops down so he could hear her. Other girls were staring at the two with jealousy in their eyes and it looked like they could have ripped Olivia's head off.

"Yeah…" Troy says while Olivia pushes up against him harder. The strobe light suddenly flashes on as Troy could see everyone's body's up against each other. Zeke and Sharpay's lips were connected as it looked like they were making out in slow motion. Jason and Kelsi seemed to bee laughing about something as he had a small grip on her. Troy pulls Olivia tighter to him. He had to focus. Right now he was at homecoming, with his girlfriend. He shouldn't think about anyone else but her.

The fast paced rap song suddenly ends while another one begins. Troy's eyes look away from down at Olivia as he looks to the side to see that Taylor was pulling out of Chad's grasp. She grabs his hand and Troy raises his eyes at them. "We're getting something to drink."

Troy suddenly feels his body become somewhat cold as Olivia pulls away from him also. "I want to get something too." She says while Troy nods and grabs her hand.

"I'm coming with you." He says while glancing to see Jason and Kelsi were now following them, and Zeke and Sharpay didn't even bother to let their lips leave each others.

Troy lifts Olivia's arm up and lets her work her way though the crowd in front of him. The guys all pat Troy on the back in the process, making him feel like a celebrity. His body was getting pushed against others until they finally make it past a few freshmen who were scattered in the back, 'too cool' to dance. Troy's eyes look over to the side to see that a couple of the teachers were staring at the mosh pit in the center of the gym, pretending not to see what was really going on.

It was so much easier to breathe out in the open and not where the rest of the school was. Troy looks back at all of the teenagers and rolls his eyes, thinking how much it looked like a club right now. His sleeves were rolled up so they now sat right where his elbow bent. His black tie was loosened a little and his dress shirt had two of the top buttons undone. The piercing blue eyes that seemed to be electrifying at the moment glance at the doors again, just in case.

"God, it's like a mosh pit in there!" Taylor exclaims as the six of them walk over to where the water was being served. Olivia and Kelsi giggle a little as Troy glances at the door again.

"Yeah… but the decorations are amazing." Kelsi exclaims as Troy's eyes look around the gym. He sighs while closing his eyes. Gabriella would have thought it was beautiful, there was no doubt about that.

"Yeah, whatever." Chad says as they grab the clear plastic cups and walk over to one of the tables were Troy remembers Olivia putting her purse down in the beginning of the dance. "It looks great."

Troy rolls his eyes at how much of a guy Chad was being right now and looks down at Olivia. She was staring up at him with a look in her eyes that was unfamiliar to him. Her brown eyes seemed to sparkle and look gorgeous. Her face was soft and questioning. Troy knew she was beautiful and looked stunning tonight. He wasn't being fair to her, since all he could think about was Gabriella.

"Are you having fun?" Olivia asks him while placing a hand on his arm. He reaches up and grabs the hand with his and laces their fingers. He had to lie right now.

"Yeah, of course." Troy says while leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. It was a short kiss that didn't last long as he pulls away and puts a fake smile on his face.

"Are you sure?" Olivia asks slowly, as if completely seeing through his lie. Troy nods as he wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her closer to him.

"I'm positive. I've got my girl here, what else could I want?" _Gabriella_. He thinks but doesn't dare say that out loud. His eyes look to see where Kelsi and Taylor were standing with Chad and Zeke talking about something probably unimportant.

"How'd she look?" Troy overhears Kelsi ask as his eyes narrow a little.

"Tired, and a little depressed." Taylor responds as Troy takes two steps forward, bringing Olivia with him. There was only one person they could be talking about, and he knew it.

"Who?" Troy asks even though already knowing the answer. But when did Taylor see her? Troy hadn't even seen her today. Maybe she stopped by this morning or something?" But Taylor shoots Kelsi a look and then looks back to Troy.

"My grandma." She lies and Troy tries his hardest not to roll his eyes.

"Oh my God is she sick?" Olivia asks with concern laced in her voice, and Troy tries his hardest not to think she was stupid for not figuring out it was Gabriella.

"Er… recovering." Taylor says while glancing at Troy for a moment. His eyes narrow as Chad and Jason walks over to where the girls were standing. His eyes connect with Taylor's as he raises an eyebrow.

"I didn't know your grandma was staying home from a dance tonight." Troy says while shaking his head slightly at her. Taylor's eyes grow wide as she was busted and Chad's face drains a little. "When did you see her?"

Taylor bites her lip a little as she glances up at her boyfriend. A white spotlight skims over their heads in the darkness as the dark girl takes a deep breath. "Um… we went before pictures."

Troy closes his eyes and shakes his head. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"What's going on?" Olivia asks, obviously oblivious to what was happening right now. Troy lets go of Olivia's waist and crosses his arms. Why didn't they take him? He was her best friend, not them. He was dying to see her right now. Maybe if he would have went, then he wouldn't keep thinking about her like he was.

"Chad and Taylor saw Gabriella before pictures." Kelsi explains to her but Troy wasn't paying attention.

"We just… didn't want to crowd her. We tried to get her to come, but she didn't want to." Taylor exclaims while Troy raises an eyebrow again.

"Crowd her? She's my fucking best friend!" He exclaims while the strobe lights switch on again. Troy could see Taylor look back up at Chad through this. His piercing blue eyes close as he takes a deep breath. He couldn't freak out. Not now. He wanted Olivia to have a good time, not see him freak out about his best friend. "So she was upset?" He asks while opening his eyes to see that the strobe lights turned off again.

Taylor nods slowly. "But she was set on not coming." She says while Troy lets out a breath. There was no hope now. She wasn't coming.

"Oh." He simply states, more upset then he had meant to. His eyes look down at the brunette who was staring up at him with an unreadable look on her face.

The fast paced rap song ends and Troy could hear the beat slow down immensely. He plasters on a completely fake smile and stares down into her eyes. She was so beautiful, and he wasn't being fair to her at all. "Come on." He says while wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her towards the mosh pit again.

As they make their way through, Troy could see that people had coupled up, and those who didn't have dates were standing off to the side awkwardly. He leads her towards the center, while spinning her around in his arms and places his hands on her thin waist. She gives him a small smile while then resting her head onto his chest. Troy's lips connect with her forehead as he closes his eyes again, not being able to help the feeling of desperately wanting to be with his best friend. Not that he wasn't having a good time, but with out Gabriella, he wasn't complete. She was too much apart of him. And God did he miss her.

The song continues as the two sway to the music, Troy feeling Olivia's chest against his. He pulls her tighter to him, but he had a completely distant look on his face. Her head suddenly lifts up from his chest and looks up into his piercing blue eyes. Troy could have melted just staring at hers. She looked incredible. "You really wanted her to be here huh?"

Troy lets out a sigh while glancing at the door one more time, almost as if that would magically make her appear. He looks back down at his girlfriend. "She's my best friend." He says while then shaking his head. "I'm sorry, it's just we do everything together and…"

But he didn't finish the rest of his sentence. "Go." Olivia says with the same unreadable expression on her face.

What? Did she just say go? Did she not want him there or something? What was going on? "Um… what?" Troy asks with confusion written all over his face. The spotlight scans over him as it highlights Olivia's face, making her look even more gorgeous then what she had before.

Olivia sighs. "Go. She's alone right now and I know you want to see her."

Troy couldn't comprehend that it was just what came out of her mouth. What? "It's homecoming! I'm not gonna leave you!" He exclaims while reflexively pulling her tighter to him.

Olivia gives him a small smile. "There's only forty five minutes left. And you can bring her to the after party. Just go ok? I really don't care." She says with a face that was sincere. Troy immediately felt guilty. He wanted to go, but he couldn't just leave his girlfriend there! It was homecoming!

"I'm not gonna leave you." He says while she shakes her head.

"And you're not going to be happy until you see her." She says with a smile. "Go, or I'm leaving and taking you with." She says with a face that was genuine.

A grin bursts out onto Troy's face as he pulls her into a hug and holds her tightly. She was incredible. It took a big person to let their boyfriend go to another girl. He squeezes her tightly and closes his eyes. "You're so fucking incredible."

He pulls away from her but still keeps his hands on her waist as she gives him a sweet smile. "Just tell her I said hey, and make sure she comes." She says while Troy grins even further. He couldn't believe how amazing she was being right now. It was only making him like her even more.

His lips fall down and crash onto hers. Their kiss was slow and sensual, and he didn't care if the whole school was watching. He puts his hand behind her head and pulls her closer to him, letting his tongue play tag with hers for a moment. They finally pull apart as Troy beams down at her. "You're amazing."

She smiles back up at him. "I'll see ya in a little bit."

Troy kisses her one more time before turning around and making this way through the crowd. The grin on his face couldn't be wiped off as finally gets out of the mosh pit and makes it to the front of the gym. His piercing blue eyes look back for a moment at the "Night in Paris", and then he walks out the gym doors and practically sprints down the hallway to get to his best friend.

* * *

Gabriella pulls the purple blanket around her tighter as she stares blankly at the screen. She could have gone. She had so many opportunities and she could have gone. But where was she instead? Stuck at home, curled up in front of the TV, thinking of how much she wanted to be with her friends right now. A sigh erupts from her throat as she continues to stare at the TV. Why didn't she just go?

But then thoughts of Olivia and Troy grinding up against each other run through her head. There was absolutely no way she'd be able to watch that. It killed her inside enough just to watch them kiss at school. But at a dance, that would just be torture.

A sigh erupts from her throat again as she looks down at her small fingers. Everyone would be talking about how amazing the dance was on Monday, and she would be completely left off. She knew that it was going to be hard thinking about the fact that she didn't go, but there wasn't anything she could do now. She knew that it was for the best, that everything she had worked for could have gone completely out the window. She had too many people counting on her to blow it on just one dance.

Her feet finally lift her body up from the light couch as she feels her body stretch a little. She continues to carry the blanket that was around her shoulders into the kitchen, where she could maybe find something else to do to take her mind off everything. The house was almost completely black besides the TV that was glowing in the living room. Gabriella's feet carry her to the back door, where her eyes looked out to see the willow tree swaying with the soft breeze and the stars were twinkling above. A small tear burns onto her cheek as she thinks about how romantic this night must have been for Troy. He would be getting everything he ever wanted, he would be happy.

Almost as if on cue, Gabriella's body jumps at the sound of a familiar noise echoing through out the house. As she regains composer, her eyebrows raise. What? Someone was here? But it was 10:30 PM! No one came to someone's house that late. But then panic starts to spread through her body. What if it was someone dangerous?

But curiosity was over killing the fright as her legs slowly carry her to her white door. Her small hand wraps around the door handle gently as she closes her eyes. She really didn't want to get pinned to the ground and raped brutally tonight. But she takes a deep breath and opens the door, with her mouth dropping in the process.

Standing on the other side was a guy. Her stomach was flipping forty times over as she took his presence in. He was wearing black dress pants with black shoes, along with the white dress shirt that was rolled at the sleeves and completely unbuttoned so she could see his gray wife beater underneath. The tie that used to be tied was hanging around his neck undone. The piercing, drowning blue eyes look up and connect with Gabriella's deep brown. A small smile plays on his lips as he was leaning against the door frame in the sexiest way that Gabriella could ever imagine. "Miss me?"

Gabriella's mouth hung open stupidly. So many questions were running around her head that it was hard to keep track of them all. Why was he here? Where was Olivia? Did something happen? Why wasn't he at the dance? The blanket that was around her shoulders drops as Troy smirks at her while her eyes were wide. "Why are you…?"

Troy smiles even further as Gabriella's body couldn't move. He takes a step inside the house since she was completely immobile and shuts the door behind him. He then turns to her while smiling brightly at her. "You didn't think I'd ditch you did you?"

She could suddenly feel her body again as her arms suddenly lift up and she jumps into his. He could hear him chuckle a little as electrical waves were surging through her body. Troy's arms wrap around her lower back as he picks her up and spins her around. Happiness was filling through Gabriella's body like nothing she had ever felt before. He came for her. He thought about her. He gave up part of his homecoming for her.

But as Troy sets her down that was what suddenly entered her mind. Her smile falls off her face as Troy's falls a little as well seeing hers go. "You gave up your homecoming? Troy you didn't!" She exclaims as Troy rests his hands on her upper arms, sending her chills.

The basketball captain shrugs a little as he smiles at her. "You're more important then some stupid dance." He says while Gabriella shakes her head.

"But Olivia?" She says, although she wasn't really complaining right now that he was standing there instead of being with his girlfriend.

"She told me to come." He says while smiling at her. "She knew I wasn't happy with you not there." He says while rubbing his hands up and down her fleece jacket a little. Troy's strong muscular arms bring her into his body again as she feels his warmth radiating off of him. "It wasn't the same without you there."

Gabriella's arms wrap around him as she closes her eyes, never ever wanting to let go. A smile that wouldn't be taken off her face was molded onto her skin as she feels her head snuggle further into his chest. "You're amazing… you know that right?"

Troy laughs a little. "Yeah… but it's good to hear once in awhile." He says while Gabriella rolls her eyes at his cockiness.

"How does Olivia put up with you?" Gabriella asks while pulling away from him. He smirks at her and shrugs his shoulders. Her hands drop from his shoulders, but his remain on her waist.

"The same way you do." He says.

Troy wraps his arms around her and they walk into the dark living room. Troy's hands feel around on the wall until the lights suddenly burst with light, almost giving the room so much more warmness then what was in it before. "So how'd everyone look?" Gabriella asks while she could hear the TV being played in the background, but Troy didn't seem to notice it.

"Good. Liv looked gorgeous." He says while Gabriella's stomach drops a little. She still wasn't used to him talking about his girlfriend, and didn't think she ever would be. "The dress was sexy."

Gabriella's lips form a smile, remembering that she helped pick that out. "Well… I have good taste." She says cockily while Troy laughs.

"Don't pick up on my cockiness now." He says while removing his arm from her and dropping down on the couch behind him. Gabriella smiles a little while she looked at how dressed up he was, compared to her who was in jeans and a fleece jacket. "By the way, in a half hour I'm kidnapping you and we're going to Cody's." Troy informs her as Gabriella sighs.

"I'd feel weird." She says. "I didn't go to the dance and everyone else has dates."

Troy smirks a little as he grabs her hand that was just dangling there and pulls her to the couch. Gabriella looses her balance a little and falls down onto his legs, so her back was touching them while she was staring up at him. Again, sparks were flying through her body as he beamed down at her. "You can be my date."

Gabriella could feel her heart lift at the words, even though they were meaningless. "You have a girlfriend."

Troy smiles at her while running his hand over her arm. "Yeah… just call me a stud… I got two bitches." He says while Gabriella glares up at him.

"If you ever call me your bitch again…" She threatens while Troy shakes his head.

"You'll do nothing, cuz you know it's true." He says while they both stared into each other's eyes. The piercing blue connect with the deep brown as Gabriella found that they seemed to be the most convincing things in the world. They could probably get her to do anything, whether she wanted to or not. "So you're coming?"

Gabriella smiles a little, not believing how amazing Troy actually was. "Just call me your bitch."


	15. Two Hearts

The first time someone found out Gabriella was scared. She thought that the world was going to end. Someone knew, which meant they could tell her parents, a teacher, or even worse, her best friend. They would make her eat. They would put her in some insane place. But she wasn't crazy. Anyone who looked at her body would see that she wasn't crazy. Or at least, that's what she thought.

_The room seemed to be thirty degrees colder than normal. Gabriella's body was wrapped tightly around an overly large basketball sweatshirt that she borrowed from Troy. Her body was shaking as her small, yet somewhat swollen hands reach into her locker and grab a binder that was sitting there. Her hair hung on her head dully and she looked sick. But to her, she didn't. To her, she was fat._

_The hallways were chattering with people, probably talking about the championship game that was to occur in two weeks. Of course, with her best friend being one of the star players and was only a sophomore that was all he could think about lately. Or at least, she thought it was all he could think about._

"_Hey." She hears a voice from behind her as a smile beams onto her face. Her body turns around to see that Troy was beaming down at her with his bright white teeth. Gabriella's eyes were dull and colorless, but she was trying her hardest to put life into them. _

"_Hey yourself." She says while Troy leans his hand up above her shoulder next to the locker that was closed next to her. Gabriella feels a wave of coldness hit her as she shudders._

_It was the longest she had gone with out eating. The last time she ate was three days ago, and it seemed that her body was now rebelling against her in everyway. Even if she wanted to, her throat had seemed to close up every time she put something in her mouth. But she wasn't complaining about this. It was almost a goal to see how long she could actually go with out eating. _

"_Sorry I didn't call you back last night." Troy apologizes as Gabriella suddenly remembers calling him and he had to go right away since he was going to eat dinner with his parents. It made Gabriella's stomach acid turn in the thought of putting food down someone's throat. "But my dad wanted to go shoot hoops, and I couldn't say no…"_

"_It's not big deal." Gabriella says with the normal perkiness in her voice gone. Her eyes look up to his piercing blue as she could feel her stomach flip about four times. How could two eyes get that beautiful? It just blew Gabriella away. But she looks over to the side as Troy removes his arm from on top of her locker and grabs her forearm. It sends shudders down Gabriella's body, not only from being cold, but his skin touching her._

"_Are you ok? You're really pale." He says while rubbing his thumb up and down her arm. She nods slowly, even though her head was beginning to feel like everything was being sucked out of it. _

_  
"Of course." She says in a small voice, but Troy looks at her skeptically. She suddenly hears noise come from behind Troy as she looks around his shoulder to see that Taylor and Chad were walking towards them with their hands laced together. _

"_Hey." They both say at the same time while Troy was still looking at Gabriella with concern on his face. She could feel the blood start to leave her legs as they began to feel like jello. But she places her hand on the locker behind her to steady herself. Taylor's eyes lock on Gabriella's, with the same look that Troy had on his face. It was a look of worry._

"_Hey." Troy says back while staring at Gabriella. She looks away from him and tries not to make eye contact with any of them. She didn't want them staring. It scared her. Actually, she didn't want them to see her form, or how the fat under her chin was starting to roll down her face. The floor slowly starts to spin as she hears a faint ringing sound in her ears. Her eyes finally look back up to see Troy sigh slowly as he glances at Chad. "You ready to go?"_

_The afro nods and Gabriella remembers they were off to gym, while she was in the other direction. "Let's bounce." He says while Troy looks back at her and wraps his arm around her, sending shivers down her entire small body as he lets go slowly and gives her one last stare. "Get better." He says with a look that scared Gabriella. Did he know she wasn't eating?_

_She stares as panic spreads through her body. He couldn't know. If he knew then he would make her eat. That was the absolute last thing she ever wanted to do. Her head starts to feel like it was floating on her neck as she turns to Taylor who was looking at her with curiosity written in her eyes. "We should go too."_

_Her eyes continue to follow Troy as it seemed all other noises and actions going on around her were stopping. Tunnels were starting to form around her vision. Her legs that felt like jello seemed to melt underneath her as her hand slams up against the locker to steady herself. Her head suddenly starts spinning as her hand pushes harder._

"_Gabs!" Something faint in the distance sounds as Gabriella could also hear a faint ringing in the background, but she had no idea that it really was the bell. Her chocolate brown eyes roll back as her body suddenly looses feeling and she slips to the floor, her legs folding and crashing beneath her._

_But as quickly as it happened, she suddenly opens her eyes again to see the ugly color of the off-white floors. Her lids blink a couple of times as her cheek was pressed against the cold tile. She could suddenly feel the feeling in her legs and arms as her head felt like it weighed thirty pounds. Her vision suddenly returns to her as she could feel a hand on her back and found herself staring into a pair of dark eyes that had panic stricken across them._

"_What happened?" Gabriella asks, not comprehending what happened since one second she was standing up and the next she had her face pressed to the ground._

"_Thank God." Taylor breathes out as Gabriella's body folds up again and she leans her back against the locker that was sitting behind her. Stars were still filled in her eyes as she shakes her head to try to get rid of the feeling of being spun around forty times on a merry-go-round that was at top speed. "You passed out." Taylor says while leaning her own back against the locker. Her best girl friend takes a deep breath. "You didn't eat today did you?"_

_Gabriella's head immediately shoots around to look into Taylor's eyes. "What? Of course I did!" Gabriella lies completely as Taylor shakes her head._

"_You're lying." She says while Gabriella's anger was running again._

"_How dare you say I'm lying!" She exclaims and feels her voice start to shake a little. "I'm not stupid. I'm not anorexic!" She yells, even though that's exactly what she was, she just didn't believe it._

"_Gabriella, you haven't eaten lunch in weeks, your thinner then my Grandma who's dead… honey, you're sick." Taylor explains as Gabriella could feel anger boil in her stomach. Taylor couldn't find out. She'd tell. No one could no. No one could stop her. She would make sure of that._

"_I'm not sick!" She exclaims defensively while standing up from the lockers and realizes that was a mistake since the stars fill her eyes again. She places her hand against the locker again while Taylor stands up and places a hand on her shoulder._

"_Yes, you are. Don't lie to me either." Taylor says while Gabriella tries not to look at her. _

"_Leave me alone ok?" Gabriella says while trying to walk down the hallway but Taylor doesn't remove her arm. The tan girl doesn't even give a fight since Gabriella had absolutely no energy lately._

"_If you don't eat I'll tell Troy." Taylor says while Gabriella's body freezes up. No. He couldn't know. He of all people couldn't know. He'd be worried about her. She should be the last thing on his mind with the whole championships coming up. He couldn't be focused on Gabriella, since there wasn't anything wrong with her, right?_

_Gabriella turns around to face Taylor who was still staring at her with concern. She would eat at lunch. It wouldn't be a big deal, because she knew that all she would do is throw it up during class. It was that simple. Make Taylor happy, then Taylor wouldn't tell anyone. _

"_Ok… I promise I'll eat." Gabriella lies while putting her fingers behind her back and lacing them. It was so simple, and she wouldn't have to gain anymore weight. Everything would be perfect. _

_Taylor smiles as she wraps an arm around Gabriella. "Thank you. That's all I can ask for." She says, having no idea that Gabriella was flat out lying to her. _

Steam was seeping through the locker room floor and the painted red lockers were condensing with steam. Sounds of excited guys were filling the air as the drowning blue-eyed boy ruffles his hair with a towel to dry it. It was Wednesday and three weeks had gone by since homecoming, and everything seemed to be alright. In another week, Troy knew that tryouts would start for the basketball season, his first year leading the way. It was in the morning, before school since he and Chad had decided to come in early to work out in the weight room before the season started. Troy could already tell that his muscles were more defined already to his liking, and he was pretty sure that his girlfriend could tell as well.

"Dude… can't we just skip Darbus?" Chad asks while Troy throws the white towel down onto the bench that was sitting in front of the lockers. He looks down to see that the fuzzy afro was growing at a huge rate on Chad's head. Other football guys were starting to file into the locker room in other places, and Troy was pretty sure they had no idea that their golden boy was in here along with his best guy friend.

Troy shrugs. "Our girlfriends would be pissed." He says while thinking about those gorgeous chocolate eyes and how mad they would look at him. He didn't want to disappoint Olivia, not right now.

"Yeah your right. Especially since you're whipped." Chad says while spinning a towel and snapping it at the floor, indicating what Olivia does to Troy.

The captain rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "I'm not whipped." He denies, even though it was more then true.

"Yeah, whatever." Chad says while rolling his own. But suddenly, Troy hears a name that makes his ears perk up a little.

"_Yeah, Montez definitely wins._" He hears someone say as he places a finger up to his mouth as Chad looks around as though he would see the source of the noise. Troy regonized the voice as the senior Jeff. His eyebrows raise a little. Wins what?

"_I don't know. Walker's pretty hot too._" He hears someone else say, but he could barely register that they were talking about his girlfriend. Why would they be talking about his best friend like that? Everyone knew Gabriella was the hottest in the school, but for some reason it made Troy uneasy to hear people talk about her.

"_Hell no. Montez is so fucking gorgeous._" Another voice echoes Troy's ears that he recognized as Nick, the guy Gabriella was dancing with at a party in the beginning of the year. Troy could vaguely remember wanting to break his jaw for running his hands over her, but he places his hands on the lockers as if trying to listen harder.

"_Dude, everyone knows that." _Troy could hear Jeff's voice echo as his hands that were rested on the lockers suddenly form a grip around the protruding locks on the red paint. His hands form fists as his eyes narrow. "_If she asked for sex from anyone, they'd give it to her right there, girlfriend or not._"

"_Not everyone._" Another voice fills Troy's ears as he recognized it as one of the seniors. "_Pretty sure Bolton's had plenty of opportunities and he hasn't taken them._"

The piecing blue eyes cloud over as they suddenly connect with Chad's almost black. Him? Opportunities? What did that mean? He never dated her, so that didn't make any sense. "_What do you mean?_" He hears Jeff's voice echo again as he tries to strain even closer to hear. They were talking about him, and he wanted to know what the hell the guy meant by this.

"_Well, you know. Bolton and Montez were connected at the hip before Walker came along._" He says while Troy's breath stops. Were connected? Before Olivia? Weren't they still connected? "_He could have easily fucked her, but he's too stupid to see what a bitch he has in front of him. He could nail the fucking hottest girl in school, but he's too dumb to see that she'd let him with no questions asked._"

Troy's hands grip the locks so hard that he could feel the cold metal being to press harshly against his skin. He wasn't stupid. The guys were completely wrong. Troy HAD thought about having sex with Gabriella. He practically thinks about it every time they're together. But he's better then that to take advantage of her. He cared about her, more then even he knew. "_How do you know they haven't?_" Jeff's voice echoes again while Troy tries to take deep breaths to calm him down.

"_Because Bolton wouldn't be with Walker if they did._" Nick's voice fills Troy's ears as he hears him chuckle a little. "_It's a shame, I'd rail her in a heart beat._"

That was it. Troy's anger soars through the roof as he pushes himself off the lockers. His eyes clouded over and became black as his eyes grew tunnel vision. He wanted to cause Nick pain for saying that. No one would be having a one night stand with Gabriella. Not on his watch. What he didn't even realize was the fact that right now, he was thinking that was if anyone would have sex with Gabriella, it would be him.

But before he could get anywhere, Chad's arms grab his and he throws Troy back. The shock makes Troy fall onto the bench while he could hear the faint sound of the other guys leaving. Troy's knuckles were white as his fists were balled. He looks up to see that Chad was shaking his head while crossing his arms. "Dude, not worth it."

Troy raises his eyebrows and throws out his arms to add to the dramatic effect. "Did you even hear him? He wants to fuck the shit out of her!" Troy exclaims while cringing thinking about anyone else thrusting themselves inside of her but him. Anyone else pressing their lips against her completely flat yet gorgeous stomach. Her screaming anyone else's name besides the one with four letters and started with a T and ended with a Y.

"Yeah, along with the other half of the school." Chad says while still shaking his head at him. "Dude, you need to chill. God, for being just friends you're so fucking jealous."

Troy's eyes shoot up to Chad's and glare. "I'm not jealous." Troy lies, knowing that he was more then jealous.

"Yeah, and Taylor's the dumbest person in the class." Chad says sarcastically. "Dude, you want her."

Troy's eyes grow wide at the sound. Want her? As in want to have sex with her? Of course he did! But he'd never admit that to anyone. It was his secret. "I have a girlfriend." Troy says the only think he could think of.

"Yeah… whatever." Chad responds while shaking his head again. Troy could hear the bell ring in the distance and he knew they were going to be late for homeroom, but the two weren't going anywhere. "How many times have you thought about fucking Gabs?"

_Everyday. _The basketball captain sighs. He could work this in his favor. He would just have to cover it up. "What? Don't tell me you've never wanted to screw her. She's Gabriella Montez!" He says but cringes at the sound of how vulgar he was talking about his best friend.

Chad looks away as if thinking for a moment. "Actually... never." He says while Troy's eyes grow wide. "I've honestly never wanted to screw her."

Troy tries to laugh sarcastically, but could hear the truth in Chad's voice. This wasn't good. "Bullshit." He says while Chad shakes his head.

"It's not." He responds while panic spreads through Troy's body. He had a girlfriend! He shouldn't think about Gabriella that way. But he couldn't help it. The way her curves formed perfectly on her body. The way her hair bounced as she walked. The way he so desperately wanted to taste her

That was stupid! He didn't like her that was for sure. But he spent so much time with her, so he was bound to have feelings like this right? It wasn't wrong, it was innocent. Troy leans down and puts his head into his hands while running his hands through his hair. "Dude, she's like my fucking sister!"

Troy looks up at Chad's face to see his eyebrows were raised. "No, she's like MY sister. You two have more."

Troy looks away and closes his eyes. He had Olivia. He was happy with Olivia. But the way Chad was making Troy think right now was scaring him. He always thought that the reason he felt that way towards Gabriella was because she did that to everyone. Now, finding out that Chad never had sexual feelings towards her, made him think twice. Did he really think of Gabriella as more then just his best friend? But they had been through so much together. He couldn't. There was no way. They were just best friends. That's it.

"Dude, we're done." Troy says while standing up and looking Chad straight in the eyes. "She only thinks of me as a friend and I love her like my sister." He tries to sound convincing but realizes that he didn't sound persuasive at all.

Chad pauses for a moment as if he was going to say something, but then shakes his head almost deciding not to. "Whatever you say man."

Troy lets out a sigh as he walks past Chad and then feels him at his feet. They leave the locker room and walk through the empty hallways. If teachers noticed that they were out of class, they didn't say anything. Maybe it was just the fact that it was Troy, or maybe they just didn't think anything of it.

His mind was racing. He couldn't help but not be able to get the small girl out of his mind. But he had Olivia! Why all of the sudden now it was like he was craving Gabriella. After the guys in the locker room were talking, Troy couldn't help but close his eyes and imagine the feeling of her small hand wrapped around him. The feeling of her skin pushed against his bare chest as he rocked her back and forth. The way he wanted to feel her lips press against his chest. But what he craved most was the feeling of himself thrusting inside of her while she moaned his name into his ear.

"Dude, Troy!" He could feel Chad's hand hit his shoulder to wake him up. Troy's head shakes to get rid of the feeling, but could feel that he had made himself completely hard. No! She was like his sister! He played in the dirt with her when they were young. He'd go over to her house after school and color together. He helped her get through her eating disorder! They'd been through too much together. There was no way he could have feelings for her! "Wake up!"

The bell rings as the two finally make it to their lockers. Troy could see students file out of the rooms and the chattering began to fill up the once empty hallways. He lets out a sigh and closes his eyes. It meant nothing. He was just getting nervous for tryouts. This feeling he was having meant nothing.

"Hey you." He hears a voice in his ears and turns around to find his girlfriend beaming at him. As he looks at her, he noticed the way her hair was straight instead of curly like normal. It didn't seem to shine the way it did yesterday. Her body which had no curves to it didn't seem as irresistible to him. But her eyes. The chocolate brown eyes that he got lost in only a few days ago seemed too light for him. He was craving deep brown.

"Hey." Troy says distantly while Olivia leans up and kisses him on the cheek. The piercing blue eyes leave hers as he suddenly looks up and feels his stomach flip. He had looked at her a million times, thought she was hot, but now… It was like he was looking at her for the first time.

The way her curled hair framed her face. The way her simple grey t-shirt made him want to feel what was underneath. The way her jeans hugged the curves perfectly. The sound of laughter that erupted from her kissable lips while she walked with Jeff. Troy's eyes were transfixed at how beautiful she really was.

Gabriella's eyes glance at Jeff before then looking at Troy. The two stop and the basketball captain could feel a slight trail of fire run through his veins at the fact she was with another guy right now. Troy could feel Olivia's hand slip into his own, but he could barely feel sparks. "Hey bastard." Gabriella jokes while staring at Troy as he laughs a little, realizing now how stupid his laugh really sounded.

"Funny bitch." Troy jokes back as Gabriella giggles a little, knowing that it meant nothing. "What's up Jeff?" He says while showing the fact that someone else was there, even though all he wanted to do was be with Gabriella.

"Nothing man." He responds and Troy could feel another hit of jealousy while thinking about what was said in the locker room. He had to make up for it. Show Jeff that Gabriella was his. That he would take an opportunity, even though the rest of the guys thought he wouldn't.

"So we're still on for Saturday right?" Troy asks even though he really meant he's still taking her to Dr. Wilson's instead of hanging out.

Gabriella gives him a small smile as he could feel Olivia's hand in his right now. "Yeah… of course." She says while then showing him another smile and a small wave of the hand. "I'll catch ya later."

He watches as she and Jeff walk the other way. Troy tries to calm down the beast that was goring inside him as they walk together. No. He couldn't think this way. He had a girlfriend. Gabriella was his best friend. This was wrong.

"You ready to go?" Olivia asks while Troy shakes his head, bringing himself out of the trance he was in. He looks down at her and almost forces himself to want her right there. It wasn't working as well as he wanted.

"Yeah. Let's go." He echoes as they begin to walk down the hallway, hand in hand, with Troy wishing in the back of his head that it was Gabriella's hand.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry that took forever. It was a rough week for me. Thanks so much for reading though. You guys are amazing!**


	16. I Want To Know What Love Is

"Have you ever thought about sex?"

Gabriella's eyes grow wide as she stares at the sky that was starting to turn orange. The tickle of the green grass beneath her played against her skin as she could see the leaves on the willow tree sway in the wind a little. The breeze was dancing across her bare arms as she was only wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants. Her head looks to the side to take in his profile. His tan skin seemed to glow the way it did before he started going out with Olivia. It had since Wednesday. And his eyes. His eyes pierced through her again. It was something she had missed.

They had come back from Gabriella's therapist meeting two hours ago, and basically hadn't moved. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually just lied in the grass and watched the setting sun. It was gorgeous, and she wanted to savor forever. "Troy… I'm a teenager, of course I've thought about it. And I'm not a virgin remember?"

Troy sighs beside her and props his body on his elbow. "I know." He responds while his eyes pierced into her. He had been acting different this week. It was weird, hard to explain. On one hand, every time they were alone, it seemed like he had to touch her, always be near her, anything. But when ever Olivia was around, it seemed that he was doing his best to ignore Gabriella. To stay away from her. Not a mean ignoring, jut more of a "I'm trying to focus on my girlfriend but it's not really working" type. She could read Troy like a book, but couldn't figure out what had gotten into him. "But like… have you actually thought about it?"

Gabriella sighs while looking up at the setting sun again. She had sex once, at the beginning of the summer. It was at a party and right before she went another two days without eating, and she needed to feel loved. It just happened, and it wasn't that she regretted it or anything, but she wished her first time would have been with the guy next to her. "What do you mean?"

She looks back over to see Troy's eyes were twinkling. His fingers suddenly begin to rub up and down her arm, giving her shivers. Gabriella was guessing that he probably didn't even know he was doing it, but it was making her body want him. "Why do people do it you know?"

Gabriella rolls her eyes. "Cuz it feels good?" She states more as a question then an answer. "Aren't you supposed to be the guy and not think about things like this?"

Troy chuckles a little while their eyes connect together. "I don't know. I'm just wondering."

Gabriella sighs as she musters up the courage to say what she wanted to. "I guess people do it to show each other how much they really love them." She says while they're eyes never left each others.

Troy nods while letting a breath of air out. He was acting so weird. So… un-Troy like. Troy Bolton was supposed to be confident. He had the girls wrapped around his fingers. He had slept with multiple girls. Why was he asking these questions? "Do you have to? Do you have to be IN love with them to want to have sex with them? Like… can't you just love them?"

That made no sense at all. Gabriella finally turns over so she was propped up on an elbow as well. "What the hell? Isn't that the same thing?"

Troy pauses for a moment. "Is it?"

Gabriella rolls her eyes again. "I asked you first."

Troy sighs as he lies down again on his back and runs a hand through his hair. Gabriella could tell that something was bothering him, that something was eating away at him. She had no idea that it had something to do with sex.

Wait… if he was asking all these questions, did that mean that he wanted to have sex with Olivia? Gabriella stomach completely drops. She could almost feel the acid make it's way up her throat, but she swallows it before it could come out. Troy was thinking of having sex with someone that wasn't her. Her body suddenly felt numb as she could feel a tear burn in the back of her eye. But she closes them to cover it up. No. He couldn't. They had only been dating for two months? Did he really love her?

"I don't… think so." Troy says slowly as he looks back just in time to see Gabriella's eyes open. His eyes grow wide a little as he looks at her. "Gab… what's wrong?"

Gabriella figures that her eyes probably were red. She shakes her head as she sighs and wipes them, even though she wasn't crying. Her heart was breaking with every moment that now passed. She didn't want him to. But that's what it seemed like he was hinting towards. "Nothing… I just got grass in my eyes." She says while acting as though trying to blink it out.

Troy sighs as he looks up at her. "I mean… I love my mom, but I'm not in love with her right?"

Gabriella giggles a sad giggle while still seeing the image of Troy naked on top of Olivia. "I don't know… you tell me."

He rolls his eyes. "I heard once that when you're little you fall in love with the opposite sex parent."

Gabriella scrunches her nose up. "Ew, let's not talk about that." She says and lets out a sigh while Troy chuckles a little. "Why… what's going on?" She asks even though she knew exactly what was going on.

Troy runs another hand through his chestnut brown hair and Gabriella did her best to try and not imagine her own fingers running through it while his lips were pressed up against hers. "I don't know… I've been thinking lately and…" He looks up at Gabriella as if struggling with himself to say what he wanted to next. She watches as he just stares at her, a look he had been giving her since Wednesday, a look she hadn't seen since before he started going out with Olivia. "I don't know."

Gabriella sighs. She knew exactly why he was thinking this. So she takes a deep breath and bites her bottom lip, afraid to find out the answer to the question that was in her mind. "You're uh… you're thinking about doing it with Olivia huh?"

Troy's eyes grow wide for a moment as he looks at her. She knew it. He was busted now. But then the piercing blue leave hers as they look back up at the purple sky that could now show faint small twinkling stars above them. "I uh… I don't know."

That had to mean yes. Gabriella closes her eyes in pain again. All of the emotions were bubbling over once again, just like every time she was with him. She suddenly felt fat and ugly. Of course he'd never want to mess around with her. She wasn't pretty enough for that. But her small fingers suddenly snap the rubber band on her wrist to try and get rid of the negative thoughts. "Oh." Was all she could say.

But she suddenly opens her eyes to the touch of a warm hand stopping the blows. The piercing blue eyes connect with her deep brown as she could feel her stomach flip four-thousand times over again. They just stare at each other, no words coming out before Troy takes a deep breath. "What is it?"

She wasn't going to deny that there was something wrong, since Troy knew that whenever she reached for the rubber band, she was thinking about wanting to loose the weight she didn't have. Her head shakes slowly. "It's nothing."

Troy's hand, which was still wrapped around her wrist sending sparks through her entire body, lifts it up while raising his eyebrows. "It's never nothing."

Gabriella smiles a small smile as if trying to lighten the mood, to get him to forget what she was just doing. "Are you calling me a drama queen?"

Troy shakes his head, no sign of a joke any where. "Hell no." He responds while sighing. "I've got Sharpay for that."

Gabriella gives him another small smile while their eyes were still connected. She couldn't help but try to force herself to remember he had a girlfriend, but the way he was looking at her now kept making her forget. If it was anyone else, Gabriella would have thought it was a look of longing. A look of passion. A look of love. But it was Troy, who wouldn't ever think that way about her. Or at least, that's what she thought. "What do you have me for then?"

All thoughts of Olivia and Troy suddenly left her as Troy's warm hand rests on her cheek. She closes her eyes and leans into his touch as she could feel a magnetic force drawing them closer. It was almost as if God himself was bringing the two together. Gabriella could feel her body move a little closer as Troy crawls to her, moving his thumb up and down her soft cheek. "I have you for everything."

Her lips were quivering with longing. So desperately she wanted him to place his onto hers. So desperately she wanted him to rip off her clothes and jump on top of her. So desperately she wanted him inside her, thrusting hard and deep. She wanted him to make love to her right there. The energy was there, radiating off one another. She could feel the cool air heat up twenty degrees. If Troy didn't feel anything right there, he would have had to have been gay, because Gabriella couldn't stop the chemistry between the two.

But reality crashes down onto her shoulders as she opens her eyes again and looks back at him. She suddenly remembers his girlfriend. His perfect girlfriend who he was falling in love with, if he wasn't in love with her already. Gabriella suddenly scoots backwards, letting Troy's hand fall with a look of disappointment crossing his face. That was close. Too close. She couldn't let herself get that vulnerable again.

"So uh… are you gonna do it?" She asks, trying to bring his girlfriend back into the conversation so it wouldn't look like she wanted him right there. The throb in between her legs was growing at an intense rate. She looks down in-between Troy's and watches as his face flushes a little. He moves backwards a little and then adjusts his member beneath his jeans. Was he feeling the same heat that she was a moment ago? Did Gabriella just make Troy Bolton _hard_? By just a touch?

"Do what?" Troy says in a voice that was much higher then his own while he scratches the back of his neck. She watches as his face was completely flushed and he didn't seem to know anything that was going on at that moment. Gabriella couldn't stop looking at him curiously. Sure, they had chemistry before, but Gabriella was positive that what had just happened was something more. Sure, it was just a touch, but it seemed to be so much more then that. It didn't seem one sided. It seemed like they both wanted more.

That was crazy! He had a girlfriend! A GIRLFRIEND! Olivia Walker. Not Gabriella Montez. They had been through too much. Troy just thought of her as one of his best friends. There was nothing more to that. But Troy was staring at her completely dumbfounded. "Olivia… have sex with her." She says while she felt her throat completely close as the words come out.

Troy lets out a breath and looks up at the stars. "I should…" He says slowly while Gabriella could feel her heart completely break. He wanted to. That moment they had just had meant nothing. He wanted to. There was a moment of silence and Gabriella could hear the crickets chirping in the background. It would have been peaceful, but all she wanted to do was let the tears slip down her face. But she was going to be strong. If she could hide not eating last year, she could hide her tears for a little longer. "Do you ever feel like one second you look at someone, then the next they look completely different in your eyes?"

Gabriella raises an eyebrow. What? She knew he was talking about Olivia. Probably one second he just liked her, and now he loved her. She had absolutely no idea he was talking about her. "What's with you being so deep right now?"

Troy chuckles a little while Gabriella looks up to see the sun had completely set, and they were just staring up at the stars. "I don't know. I've just been thinking. And you're the only one I can talk to about this." He says while Gabriella could feel the sharp edges of her broken heart against her chest. "You never answered my question."

Gabriella sighs. "I guess. I mean… one second you just like someone, then the next you love them."

Troy glances at her and sighs. "It's more like loving them, then being IN love with them. When do you know it's the 'in'?"

She was denying to herself all of the signs pointed to her. Instead, all Gabriella could think of is he was talking about Olivia. She feels small tears build up in her eyes again as she tries to blink them away. "Do you… are you in love with her?"

Troy's head immediately shoots over to look eyes with her. He seemed to be staring at her, struggling with himself what to say next. So Gabriella figures he says the only think he could. "I don't know."

Her heart shatters. It was as though someone squeezed it and then stomped on it, killing it in a moment. The tightness in her throat returns as she looks down, feeling the tears burn again. But she couldn't let them fall. She couldn't show she was weak. She couldn't show how much she loved him, and how much it killed her he was in love with someone else. "Oh." Was all she could say.

They sat in silence for another ten minutes, both staring at each other. Neither one knew what to say. Gabriella's mind was racing, crushing her heart with every thought of Troy with Olivia. Troy's on the other hand was filled with questions. Was he dating the person he should be? Of course he loved Gabriella, but was he IN love with her? What about Olivia? Did he love her?

But their thoughts were interrupted when Gabriella hears the door open. Her eyes finally rip away from Troy's as she looks towards the house to see a tall figure walking towards the two. Troy immediately sits up as Gabriella watches her father stop in front of them. "I think it's time for Troy to go home." He says harshly while Gabriella could see his dark eyes lock on the boy sitting next to her.

Troy immediately stands up while Gabriella stays sitting. She didn't want him to go. Even though her heart was breaking, she still didn't want him to go. "Daddy, it's not that late."

"It's ok Gab." Troy says while Mr. Montez glances at him, giving him another dirty look.

"It's time for him to leave." He says harshly while turning on his heels towards the house. That was the last of it. Troy did have to go.

Gabriella sighs as Troy holds out his hands to pull her up. She takes them and they keep them held for a moment, laced while the piercing blue orbs were boring into the deep brown. "Thanks for listening." Troy says plainly.

Gabriella giggles a little while shrugging. "You're always there for me, it's time I return the favor."

Troy gives her a small smile while pulling Gabriella to him. Their bodies mold together in a way that only theirs do as Gabriella finds her favorite spot in the crook of his neck. "You owe me nothing."

They stay that way for about three minutes while Gabriella inhales his scent into her memory. She finally pulls away while both of them stare at each other again, neither one knowing what to do. "I guess I'll see you later then." She says while Troy forms a depressed look on his face.

"Yeah… I call you tomorrow." He says as though he was a boyfriend. Another magnetic force tries to draw them together, but Gabriella steps out of his grasp before danger could happen.

"Bye Troy." She says while walking around him, biting her bottom lip in the process. She glances back to see him staring at her, longingly. He was thinking of having sex with Olivia. It was breaking Gabriella heart, but she was tired of watching him fall in love. She had only two options. Watch him fall further and further away from her, depressed, or something else. Something that was dangerous and something that was completely different from anything else. She was going to have to make a phone call tomorrow. She needed her stylish friend over. She needed Sharpay.

If Troy wanted to have sex with Olivia, that's fine with her. But she was going to show him for once what he would be missing. It was time. It had been almost a year, and she was going to break out. Show him what he's leaving behind.

She was ready.

* * *

"So, you ready for today?" Her sweet voice asks as Troy looks down at her with a small smile. It was Monday, the first day of tryouts and Troy couldn't be more excited. It was the first time he would be there as the actual basketball captain. His hands play with the small ones that he was holding as he stares down into Olivia's chocolate brown eyes. They were beautiful, Troy knew that. It was hard to resist them.

"Yeah… I'm pumped." He says while bringing his head towards hers and connecting his lips to her forehead. Troy had hung out with her all day yesterday, and had an incredible time. But after he had gotten home, he had done a lot of thinking. Her had come up with the fact that when he was with Olivia, she was all he could think about. When he was with Gabriella, SHE was all he could think about. The problem? When they were together, he wasn't sure which one he wanted to be with more.

There was Olivia. The beautiful, chocolate brown-haired beauty that stole his heart away during August. They had been dating for almost two months now, and Troy couldn't remember a time he was happier. She was probably the nicest person he had ever met, friendly, a little shy, but all around just amazing. It was exciting to discover something new about her ever day. And everyday with her was like unlocking a secret. A secret between the two he didn't want anyone else to know.

But then his new feelings for Gabriella ever since the guys in the locker room were talking and Chad put different thoughts into his head. He had known her forever, known everything about her. They had been through so much. He was the one who was by her side through the eating disorder. He had played in the mud with her and played tag when they were kids. He knew everything about her, and didn't have to be anyone he wasn't. She was gorgeous, the most beautiful girl he had ever met. He had always had sexual feelings for her, since the day he hit puberty, and for so long he thought it was just because that was the effect she gave off. But now, hearing that Chad never thought about her that way, started to make him question what kind of love he had for her.

"Good. You'll make it. I know you will." Olivia says teasingly, both of them knowing that Troy WOULD make it because he was the captain. And he was the best in the school.

"He'd better." Troy hears a voice come from neither him or his girlfriend as he looks up to find Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, and Jason walking towards them. Zeke went in this morning to get math help, and Troy's eyes were scanning for his best friend, though he couldn't find her.

"That'd kinda suck if the captain didn't make the team." Kelsi points out as Troy rolls his eyes.

"Where's Gabs?" Olivia asks the same question that Troy was thinking. He watches as a small smirk forms on Taylor's face as she shoots Kelsi a look, not going unnoticed by Troy. Something was up. He wasn't stupid.

"She and Sharpay are coming together." Taylor responds as she glances a look at Troy. He raises an eyebrow. Something was definitely up. The girls looked too damn happy. But knowing them, it was probably something stupid. He knew they had all hung out at Gabriella's yesterday while he was with Olivia. They probably did something then or were just sharing an inside joke.

But Troy looks over the girls shoulders to see that a couple of girls were pointing and whispering about something in the hall behind him. Chad face forms a smirk as Troy looks between all of them. They all seemed to have their eyes on something behind him, with different expressions on their faces. That was Troy's cue to turn around, and his mouth practically dropped when he did.

If Troy didn't know her before, he might not have recognized her. The girl was walking towards him with such grace she seemed to be holy. There was a small smile playing on her lips that he hadn't seen in a long time. It was a smile of confidence. Her eyes seemed to be scanning the faces, each one getting a different look. It shouldn't have been that big of a deal, but for Troy it was. Gabriella was wearing a denim jean skirt, with white flip flops and her hair was completely down in huge curls. But what caught everyone's eye was the fact that for the first time in almost half a year, she was wearing a yellow shirt that clung tightly to her stomach, revealing her perfect body.

Her deep brown eyes continue to scan the faces as Troy couldn't take his own off of her. If he looked he'd see that all of the guys were smirking approvingly at her body. But he couldn't remove his from her. The gang was staring at her too, along with Olivia, which was a good thing because Troy had a look on his face that practically screamed "I want to fuck you".

The deep orbs finally blink, and almost as if slow motion, open back up and connect with his piercing blue. He could have fell to his knees right there and begged her to let him have sex with her. It was almost like she was a goddess controlling him. It wasn't a big deal, but this showed that she had her confidence back, or at least it was coming back. And it was almost as though the confidence was making her look so sexy right then, not the shirt.

Her eyes finally rip away from his with a small triumphant smirk on her face as she and Sharpay both approach the gang. Troy watches hungrily as she smiles at all of them, while they were staring at her in shock back.

"Gabs… you look amazing." Chad says while smiling down at Taylor. Them plus Troy were the only ones that knew this was a huge deal for her, while the others just thought it was a change.

"I did good." Sharpay says cockily while Taylor rolls her eyes.

"We all helped." She says while referring to herself, Sharpay and Kelsi. Troy was barely listening through. His eyes were locked on Gabriella's perfect body. Her skin seemed to radiate perfectly as he couldn't stop staring.

Wait. He couldn't do this. His girlfriend was standing right next to him for God's sake! Why was he feeling like this? It had to stop, but Troy found himself unable to control his impulses. He wanted her. He wanted to be in her. There was no hiding it anymore. He wanted her.

"You look…" Troy starts to say as suddenly everyone's eyes were on him. He could see Gabriella's slowly make their way to his as she raises an eyebrow. God it looked sexy. But then he could feel another pair of brown eyes on him, a pair that was now raising her own eyebrows. "Amazing." He breathes out.

A smile forms on Gabriella's face as a ringing could be heard through out the halls in a warning bell. Suddenly, he feels a hand slip into his and he finally rips his eyes away from his best friend to look down at his girlfriend. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought that there was jealousy stretched across her normally gorgeous features, but that was impossible. Gabriella was Troy's best friend, so Olivia shouldn't have been worried. Right?

"Thanks, it was time for a change." She says while Troy glances back at her, smiling brightly. He was ecstatic that she was now gaining more confidence, showing that she was healing. This was a huge step for her, and he couldn't be more proud of her.

That didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy it for his own personal pleasure either.


	17. Upside Down

"I can't get over how sexy you look." The owner of the green eyes says as Gabriella could feel a blush erupt on her cheeks. "Not that you didn't look sexy before or anything. But this is just… shit." Jeff babbles as Gabriella giggles a little. It was lunch on Wednesday and she was getting used to this. All of the girls for the first half of the week were complementing her, but she knew behind her back they were all talking jealously. The guys on the other hand, couldn't get enough of her. She was wearing a blue and white polo with light jeans right now, showing off her curves.

But it would have been a lie to say that she was completely ok with this. Of course she wasn't. After Monday she went home and almost threw up from feeling so self conscious, but didn't. All of the eyes on her made her want to run to the locker room and change into her sweatshirt, but she had to be strong. It was just one day at a time, and this was a way that was going to help her.

"Thanks Jeff." She responds while leaning up against her locker. She could also feel another pair of eyes on her from behind at his own locker, but she wouldn't dare look behind her. She could almost envision the image of Troy with his back against his locker while holding Olivia's hips in place. Even though it was completely hopeless since he had Olivia and didn't like her, Gabriella felt somewhat powerful looking this way. She knew she was getting looks from Troy, especially from the fact that every other guy was completely swarming her now.

That was the plan though. She was tired of waiting around for Troy. She knew he was falling in love with Olivia, there was no denying that. So why couldn't she just try her hardest to get over him? Maybe if she fell for another guy, she would completely forget about Troy and everything would be great. Troy would have Olivia, she would have another guy, it would be perfect. But of course, that wasn't going to happen soon. She couldn't just forget about Troy like he was no big deal. They had been best friends since they were three. There was no changing that now.

"So I was thinking…" Jeff starts while Gabriella smiles at him.

"That's a first." She jokes while Jeff rolls his eyes.

"Wow… I WAS gonna ask if I could take you out to lunch tomorrow, but since you're just going to be mean." Jeff flirts while Gabriella gives him a bright white smile. She could feel the piercing blue eyes poke two holes into her back as she sighs as though thinking about it for a moment.

"Well… if I have to." She flirts back as a huge grin forms on Jeff's face. He had been waiting weeks for them to hang out, she knew that. Was it wrong to use Jeff right now to try to get over Troy? Probably. But it wasn't like it was a date or anything. They were just going to get lunch tomorrow. And why shouldn't she try to get over Troy? He obviously didn't want anything to do with her, since he was probably going to be having sex with Olivia soon. Maybe this would make it not hurt as bad.

"Great!" He exclaims. They both knew it wasn't a date, but Gabriella could tell that Jeff was excited just the same. Gabriella flashes him a bright smile, before he then glances at the clock that was on the wall. "The bell's gonna ring like…" Almost as if on cue, the bell then rings. "Now. So I'll talk to ya later." He says while giving her a small wave which Gabriella returns. He walks off in the other direction as other people from different classrooms file out.

She suddenly feels another presence next to her as she practically jumps out of her skin when Taylor and Chad break her out of her trance. "What the hell was that?" Chad asks in a protective tone while raising his eyebrows.

Gabriella shrugs. It wasn't a real date, and she didn't understand why Chad was freaking out right now. It wasn't a big deal or anything, so this didn't make any sense. "I don't know. We're going to get lunch. Is that a problem?"

Chad pauses for a moment, before then looking at Taylor who lets out a sigh. "No. That's great Gabs." Taylor finishes for him and places a hand on his chest as though to calm him down.

She shrugs again. "It's not like it's a date or anything…" She says and glances over to her side to see two piercing blue eyes narrowed on her in deep thought. Gabriella turns back to the other two to watch Chad sigh in relief. That was weird.

"Well that's good." He responds and Gabriella glances over to see that Troy and Olivia were making their way to them.

She raises her eyebrows. "How is that good?"

Chad pauses again and then shrugs. "Because then I don't have to kill him if he tried anything."

"If who tried what?" She hears a perfect voice say as she turns to see that Olivia and Troy were now standing with them. Gabriella could feel jealousy run through her veins as she sees theirs hands were laced loosely, but then tries to kill the thought. She was working on getting over him. Getting jealous over something stupid wasn't going to help.

"Don't worry about it." Gabriella responds as Troy rolls his eyes.

"Yeah… whatever." He says while Gabriella grabs her music folder from her locker and turns to Olivia. The small girl was looking between the two best friends with a curious look on her face.

"Are you ready to go?" Gabriella asks as she shuts her locker and Olivia nods.

Gabriella turns away as Olivia leans up and kisses Troy on the cheek, but she couldn't help to feel the pair of piercing blue eyes cutting into her body. She sighs as she turns back to see Troy give Olivia a small smile, before turning away in the other direction. That was weird.

The two girls fall into step together as Gabriella could see that Olivia had an almost worried look on her face. Her body didn't seem to glow the way it used to, or maybe that was completely Gabriella's imagination. Whatever it was, it was making Gabriella curious. "Is there something wrong?"

Olivia glances at Gabriella and takes a deep breath. "No… everything's fine."

Gabriella raises an eyebrow, knowing that everything wasn't fine. She knew that look. It was a look of there was definitely something up, but she didn't want to tell anyone else. She had given other people that look a million times before, and won't miss it. "Don't lie… come on spill."

Troy's girlfriend takes a deep breath and looks at the floor. "I can't tell you."

The hallway seemed to be so much smaller then what it seemed like earlier. What did she mean she couldn't tell her? Did it have to do with Troy? Of course it did! But Gabriella's heart skips about four thousand beats. What if something happened between them? A hope sparks in Gabriella's heart. What if Olivia wasn't feeling the same anymore?

"Of course you can." Gabriella says while trying to keep the excitement low in her voice, but was finding it completely unsuccessful. She wanted to know, and she wanted to know badly.

Olivia glances at Gabriella and shakes her head. "You'll tell him."

Gabriella takes in a deep breath and shakes her head. She looks Olivia in the face in a convincing way. "Troy? I swear I won't say anything… Is there something wrong?"

Olivia takes another deep breath and then looks at Gabriella. "No… I mean… I don't know." She says and glancing at Gabriella again. "He just seems… distant."

They both walk into the choir room and listen for the first warning bell. Gabriella looks around to find that Kelsi wasn't quite in there yet, so she continues to look at Olivia. "What do you mean?" She asks with her heart beating rapidly at the thought of Troy loosing interest in Olivia.

"He's just been thinking a lot I guess." Gabriella's stomach drops on this, remembering their conversation on Saturday. He was probably thinking about having sex with her, just trying to find the right time to do it or something. Olivia's eyes turn a small shade darker. "And…" She says although she was going to finish something, but then the final bell rings.

"I'm sure he was just focused on tryouts this week." She says, even though she knew deep down that wasn't what he was thinking about. But Olivia lets out a sigh and shrugs.

"I guess you're right." She says slowly before turning around and walking up the risers to her spot. Gabriella stares after her for a moment, not quite sure what to think, before she hears a voice coming from behind her, saying that Ms. Darbus was in the room, telling her to get to her spot.

* * *

"Are you sure you're not hungry?"

Troy rolls his eyes irritably and looks up from the book he was looking at. "For the last time, I'm fine." He says in a voice that sounded a lot meaner then what he meant to come across. To say he was annoyed at the world was probably an understatement. He was more then annoyed at the world; he was annoyed at everyone in it. He found himself sitting on Olivia's bedroom floor uncomfortably, thinking about anything but the math he was studying with her.

The last day of tryouts was that day, and Troy couldn't be happier. Of course, he loved basketball more then anything in this world, and it was definitely what kept him sane, but tryouts were the worst. He was sore, crabby, and all in all in a bad mood. But he knew the source of that problem wasn't just basketball tryouts. It would have been a lie to say that he wasn't completely bothered by the fact that Gabriella went out to lunch with Jeff today.

He shouldn't have been bothered by it. He knew he shouldn't, but this was just driving him insane. He wanted to be the one to take her out to lunch. She was his best friend. He had every right to do that… right?

His butt was starting to hurt even more as he looked at Olivia across the floor. It wasn't that he didn't like her, because he did. It was just a weird feeling. He was still trying to sort out this whole Gabriella ordeal. He knew that he wasn't being fair to Olivia right now, but how could he hide it? It was obvious to him now that he had feeling for Gabriella that reached far beyond just being best friends. But the question that was scaring him the most was, how much farther?

"I'm sorry, I was just wondering." Olivia says matching Troy's annoyed tone. He does his best not to roll his eyes at the sound.

He knew he shouldn't have been acting this way, but everything seemed to bother him at this moment. The piercing blue eyes close for a moment, before opening back up to calm himself down. "Sorry." He mumbles, even though he didn't mean it at all.

Olivia sighs as she looks down at her own homework. "How are your legs?"

Troy could remember telling her earlier how his legs were unbelievably sore from the tryouts. He shrugs a little as he looks at his homework again, feeling a little guilty for taking this all out of Olivia, but he knew he couldn't help it.

"They hurt like hell." He responds while flipping a page in his math book.

Silence erupts between them and Troy was suddenly getting annoyed with the sound of her scratching pencil against the white paper. He runs a hand through his hair and the leans back against her bed again. This was weird; they usually didn't have awkward silences. This? This was definitely considered awkward. Far beyond awkward really.

Troy's eyes glance around the small room. Her queen sized bed was pushed up against the wall and he was leaning his back onto it. The white carpet seemed a little too white as the walls were a light shade of blue with white shelves everywhere. His eyes then land on a spot below the windows, one very large suitcase.

"What's the case for?" Troy asks out of the blue to bring up conversation and get rid of the awkward silence that had erupted. Olivia glances up at him as if she didn't understand fully what he had just said, but then glances over at the window also to see the suitcase as well.

"For Florida. Remember?" She says and Troy desperately wracks the back of his head to try and remember what she had said about Florida.

"Right. The week before Christmas break." He reminds himself. It was less then two and a half weeks until Thanksgiving break. He could remember her telling him she was going with Julia's family to Florida the week before Christmas break. It seemed so far away to Troy, but he knew that with the first basketball game the week of Thanksgiving break, his life was going to start to get a lot more hectic.

He could suddenly feel his pants begin to vibrate as he reaches into his pocket to grab his phone. He flips it open after discovering he had one new text and glances up to see that Olivia was eying him carefully. Troy could feel his heart practically skip a beat when he sees who it was from.

_I'm bored as hell. Dad's out, you should come over and watch movies with me. :_

Even though Gabriella found her new game in trying to make Troy unbelievably jealous, he could tell since she was more confident, she was also a lot flirtier with him. It was driving him crazy, and he just wanted to be with her.

"Who was that?" Olivia asks in a skeptical voice that made Troy even more annoyed then what he already was. He couldn't describe it, but something in his voice made Troy extremely irritated.

"Just Gab." He says and almost swears he sees Olivia's face scrunch up a little. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn it was jealousy written across it. Troy raises an eyebrow for a moment before Olivia's jealousy disappears as she looks down at her book again, almost as though to hide her face. "Is there something wrong?"

Olivia shakes her head. "Nope. Everything's great."

Even though Troy was still sorting out his feelings for both of them, he wouldn't deny the fact that he couldn't help but be concerned that she seemed to be irritated. But it also seemed to rub him in the wrong way. Why should she be irritated? It wasn't like Gabriella's never texted him before.

"Don't lie to me." Troy says in more of a demanding tone then a caring tone. Olivia looks up at him and raises her eyebrows. "What is it?"

Olivia lets out a sigh. "Nothing. I just haven't seen much of you with tryouts, school, and Gabriella."

Troy raises his eyebrows. "Gabriella? What does she have to do with anything?" He says even though his stomach was flipping forty times at just the sound of her perfect name.

Olivia shrugs as though trying to shrug off the thought, but Troy knew that it was extremely unsuccessful. "I don't know. You've been around her a lot lately." She glances up as her eyes grow slightly wide. "Not that it's bad, I know you guys are best friends, but I just haven't seen much of you."

Troy looks away, feeling the guilt starting to form once again in his stomach. He knew he wasn't being fair to her. She was his girlfriend, and she had been so good to him. But he couldn't help it! These feelings he was having for Gabriella were driving him insane, and he couldn't help but want to be with her more and more.

"Sorry." Troy mumbles, though not really meaning it. He could hear the small ounce of venom in his voice, and he truly was trying to control it, but it was driving him crazy. Who cares if Olivia was pissed that he was hanging out with Gabriella too much? "But she's m best friend Liv."

Troy watches as Olivia does her best not to roll her eyes. He knew if it were him, and Olivia was spending so much time with another guy, he would probably be pissed off too. But the catch was, that it wasn't the case, and Troy couldn't stop how he was feeling right now. "I get that." She says in a hard voice that was completely unfamiliar to him. He was so used to her soft caring one, not her angry one. "I'm not saying you can't be with her."

Be with her. That phrase sounded so sweet to him, he couldn't even believe it. But he couldn't feel this way! He was supposed to be falling in love with Olivia, not Gabriella! Why was this happening? What was going on? Why was he feeling like this?

"Then what are you saying?" He asks with the anger laced into his voice like poison.

Olivia opens her mouth as if to say something, but then decides against it. She gives her head a small shake and sighs. "Nothing. I'm not saying anything."

He pauses for a moment. "Bullshit. What is it?"

She looks up with more unfamiliar looks on her faces. There was an irritability that he had never seen before, and almost a cross of jealousy. But right now, Troy really didn't care. He wanted to know what was bothering her, especially if it had to do with Gabriella.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Olivia says with a harsh tone in her voice again. "I think it's time for you to go." She states, probably not caring if she was rude or not. She closes her book and Troy stares at her dumbfounded.

Troy lets out a sigh. He really didn't want to argue with her right now, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to leave yet either. "Liv…"

"No… dinner's gonna be ready soon and I'm sure your parents want you home." She says while standing up and looking down at him. "I'll just call you later."

"Liv…" He tries again but Olivia opens her bedroom door and stands there with her arms crossed. He knew she wasn't mad, probably just irritated like him. He lets out a sigh and stands up, taking his time almost tauntingly to put his stuff together.

When he was finished, he walks over to her and places a kiss onto her cheek, since he knew she probably wasn't in the kissing mood right now. "I'll call you later."

Troy lets out a sigh as he nods and walks towards her stairs. After looking back for one moment to see her standing there with her arms cross, with an unreadable expression on her face, he wasn't really sure how he felt. It was just so damn confusing.

After walking down the stairs and leaving, he walks to his truck and hops in. He turns the car on and sits there a moment, suddenly remembering the text that seemed to spark this hidden anger in Olivia. Was it worth it to go over there?

His fingers answer as he quickly types out the message and then presses the send button.

_I'll be over in five._

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter isn't very exciting, but I wanted to show the tension building a little bit. And I just wanted to take this time to thank everyone for reading this so far. I know a lot of people are frustrated with the speed of this and just the story in general, a lot of them hating my characters, especially Troy. But thanks so much for reading and sticking this out. It means a lot to me, so thank you so much!**


	18. Up Where We Belong

His heart was beating like a drum as he could feel beads of sweat roll down the back of his neck. The bumpy surface of the orange ball beneath him was playing on his fingertips as the piercing blue eyes narrow on the rim. He had to get this. They narrow slightly as they seem to pinpoint the exact spot that he wanted the ball to hit. He knew what to do; he had done it over a thousand times before. The muscles in his knees bend as he puts pressure to the floor and pushes off, letting the ball leave his tips and swish into the net perfectly. The crowd roars to the side of him as a grin bursts out onto his face.

"Great shot Troy." He could hear his father's voice yell on the side of the court as he glances over slightly in his red and white jersey to see him clapping. It was the second game of the year, and he was playing twenty times better then he had ever done last year. It was his time to shine. He was captain this year, and he was going to prove he could do this right.

There were 37.3 seconds left in the half. The Wildcats were up 47 to 39, but Troy still had to make this second free-throw. The whole school was practically watching and he just had to get this right. He could almost feel two pairs of brown eyes locked on in him the first couple rows. One pair sweet light brown, while the other a pair of deep brown. His problem? As normal, he wasn't sure who he wanted to be staring at him more.

He copies the first basket and makes it in with a "swosh". After running back to the other side of the court, the other team takes it down and misses their shot, with the buzzer sounding that it was the end of the game.

Troy could feel happiness seep through his veins as he watches the giant afro run over to him. Chad engulfs him in a brotherly hug as he could feel the rest of the team surround him also. His senses come back to hear the entire East High gym was cheering like they had just won the Superbowl. "Awesome game Captain."

Troy shows a huge grin towards his guy best friend as he could feel all other sweaty hands on his body. It was the first home game and they had won it, boosting the confidence of the team and probably of the school itself. Troy looks up in the bleachers to see that the entire student section was on its feet. His eyes lock to his girlfriend standing in the second row, giving him a thumbs up.

After shaking hands with the other team, Troy leads his own to their locker room to get changed. All of the guys were yelling and cheering, which they had every right to be. Troy was ecstatic for them. He couldn't believe how well everyone played tonight, and he definitely couldn't be prouder of them. The team was pulling together well, even if it was for the first two games.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Troy could hear his father's voice bellow over the other guys cheering. Troy smiles brightly as he rips off his red jersey. "Keep up that work and we'll we solid for the season."

The locker room erupts in cheers again as Troy looks back to see that Chad was smiling brightly still. "That was fucking amazing." Chad says while Troy grabs a white towel.

"You're not shitting." He says with a smile that couldn't be wiped away. Thanksgiving had been great for him, he had Olivia over to eat dinner with his extended family. It was now the first week in December, with everyone's moods lightening up since the holidays were soon approaching. Everything should have been perfect.

But of course, there was nothing ever perfect with Troy. His fight in his head was still going on between which girl he wanted more. Olivia or Gabriella. It was a constant thought, and the feeling in his stomach never went away. It finally sunk in that Troy wasn't just having sexual feelings for Gabriella, they were something more. Something deeper. And it scared the hell out of him because he still cared for Olivia. He knew he wasn't being fair to her, but he just couldn't let her go. Not yet anyways.

"So you guys are heading over to Jeff's right?" Zeke asks after the guys had gotten out of the showers. It was Friday night, and they had just won their game. Of course they needed to go celebrate. It was almost like a law.

"No shit." Chad says while glancing at Troy, who now had a maroon short sleeved shirt on and jeans.

"Kels and I are coming late. We have to drop something off and her grandma's or something." Jason says, probably not knowing exactly what was going on, but just following along with it. That was the thing with Jason, he was a nice guy, but usually just followed what everyone else did.

"Shar and I are leaving early." Zeke says and Troy joins in with the rest of the guys in wolf-whistles. Chad, who was shirtless, snaps his towel at him tauntingly. Zeke's face was beaming and Troy couldn't help but roll his eyes. He suddenly couldn't help but desperately want to be leaving with someone early tonight also. And the same problem was crossing his mind, which one?

"Man's getting laid tonight." Chad says while clapping Zeke on the back. Troy smirks as Zeke was bright red. It was no secret that he and Sharpay had more sex then anyone else he knew, but he also never denied it anymore either.

"Leave 'em alone." Troy says with not much effort in his voice as he picks up his red gym back and slings it over his shoulder. "If he doesn't wanna talk about his sex life, don't make him." He says while glancing behind his shoulder to see if his dad was anywhere around or not.

Zeke and Jason roll their eyes. "Like you haven't been getting any ass lately."

Chad and Troy's eyes connect immediately, both thinking the exact same thing. He wasn't getting it, and he wasn't sure if he wanted it from Olivia either. But was he going to kill his reputation like that? Of course not. So instead he just scratches the back of his neck nervously.

"Yeah… well, I'm out." He says while nodding towards the door. The other guys on the team and pat him on the back and tell him how amazing of a job he did, but he was barely listening. His mind was completely wrapped around the two girls who haven't been able to get off his mind for so long.

He walks through the gym that was now completely empty and then makes his way up the steps towards the front of school. After walking out the doors, his feet carry him to his black truck. He hops inside and throws his bag in the back seat, not caring if there was anything important in it or not.

A huge sigh erupts from his throat as he turns the engine on and stares blankly out the window for a moment. They were both going to be there tonight. He knew he should be with Olivia, she was his girlfriend. But he just couldn't get the feeling of wanting to be with the other girl. He felt guilty, but he couldn't help but want to be with Gabriella.

He turns on the car and pulls out of the parking lot, knowing it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Gabriella could almost smell the alcohol radiating off of everyone. The basement was black, and she was leaning up against the side counter, while watching everyone drink their brains out. Her own red glass was half empty, but she wasn't stupid. She wouldn't get drunk. She wouldn't make herself that venerable to anyone else, no matter what.

"I still cannot believe that game." Taylor says, slightly tipsy already. Gabriella looks to her to see that she was standing with Taylor, Olivia, and Sharpay, who were all drinking already. She and Olivia were probably going to be the soberest that night, but it wasn't anything new. Whenever they drank, the two girls would be the ones who would be doing the babysitting. Sure, she got sick of it sometimes, but hey, someone had to do it.

"I know. Did you see Troy's two free throws? Holy fuck, they were amazing!" Sharpay exclaims while trying to take more sips of her drink. Gabriella just rolls her eyes as she looks at Olivia.

"You must be proud." She says while Olivia glances at her. She shrugs her small shoulders while looking down into her cup, not at Gabriella.

"I am." She says while shaking the drink a little bit. Her chocolate eyes glance back up at Gabriella. "He was on his game tonight."

Gabriella stomach flips slightly at the sound of that. He was on his game, for what else? "Yeah… I guess he was."

Almost as if on cue, Gabriella hears a bunch of cheers and looks behind her. Her stomach flips as she watches the brown-haired blue eyed boy walk into the room, with a swarm of people just wanting to be able to touch his holiness. His body seemed to be glowing in the dark room, but Gabriella did her best to try and turn away. He wasn't hers. He was Olivia's. She had to accept that.

"Hey." She hears a voice say as she looks over to see that Chad now had his arm around Taylor. Zeke had also found his girl, while Gabriella knew Troy was having a difficult time getting through, since everyone wanted to be with him.

"Nice game." Gabriella says while looking at Chad and then Zeke. Both guys beam at her while she finally feels the air change and her stomach flip.

"That was fucking impossible." Her eyes look up to see that a pair of piercing blue were staring at her. Troy was smiling a little as they made eye contact, neither one of them wanting to let go of it anytime soon.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Chad says sarcastically while rolling his eyes. "It must suck to be a celebrity." He says while both Taylor and Sharpay laugh obnoxiously, since both were tipsy.

"That was funny." Taylor says while taking another sip of whatever she was drinking.

Gabriella watches as Troy's eyes finally leave her and look to his girlfriend. Her stomach drops as Olivia beams brightly at him and walks over, throwing her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. She does her best to try to look away, but she couldn't help but stare longingly. But Troy's eyes look over Olivia's shoulder and make contact with Gabriella. His moth was moving, whispering something in Olivia's ear, but his eyes would not leave hers.

"Gabs!" Another voice fills her ears, causing the slow motion to stop and have Troy's eyes finally be ripped away from hers. What just happened there? She didn't understand.

But her head turns when she finds herself engulfed in a hug. The musky scent of a now familiar cologne lingers in her nostrils as Jeff finally pulls apart from her. The past couple weeks hanging out with Jeff had been fun, but they weren't dating, nor had a thing. She knew that Jeff had liked her earlier in the year, and wasn't sure if he still did, but he was now just becoming one of her really close friends. And she knew it was driving Troy insane.

"Hey!" She exclaims while glancing to the side to see the piercing blue eyes narrowed a little while looking at the two. Why should he care? He had a girlfriend, and Gabriella was allowed to hang out with anyone she wanted to.

"I'm so glad you're here." Jeff says, and Gabriella could smell the scent of alcohol on his breath, confirming her ideas that he was already drunk, even though the party only started an hour ago. "I missed you."

Gabriella rolls her eyes and hits his chest with her hand, trying to be a flirty as possible in front of Troy. "I just saw you like an hour ago."

Jeff stares blankly at her for a moment before shrugging. "Yeah. But an hour is too long!" He stares at her again, like she should know that an hour was too long. Her eyes fight the temptation to glance sideways to see if Troy was watching, and she was almost thankful when Jeff throws an arm around her and leads her off to a different area in the house.

After hanging out with his friends for awhile and watching all of them get completely wasted, Gabriella glances at the clock to see that it was almost 11. She had to be home by midnight, and wasn't really complaining about it. Zeke and Sharpy had left a half hour ago, while Gabriella had no idea where Taylor and Chad were. The only ones of the gang who she could see from where she was sitting on the couch were Olivia and Troy, who seemed to be talking angrily in the corner.

She couldn't help but stare as the two were waving their arms around at each other with angry looks written in their eyes. She could tell Troy was drunk, and was pretty sure that Olivia was tipsy, but it didn't matter to her. It was horrible that she wanted this to happen. Olivia was her friend now, and Troy was her best friend, but she couldn't help wanting this to be this way. They didn't belong together in her eyes. But the only one who belonged with him to her was Gabriella.

"'verythin' ok?" A drunken Cody, who was sitting next to her, asks while leaning back against the couch. She was pretty sure she was one of the few people who were sober. Her eyes wouldn't leave the couple as she nods her head slightly. Troy's angry hand balls as he steadies himself with his other hand on the wall. "Just marry him already."

This makes Gabriella's eyes leave the couple and look at Cody's bloodshot ones. She cocks an eyebrow, knowing that he was completely wasted, and nothing he said was making sense, but she was curious. "What?"

Cody takes a sip from the red plastic cup he was holding and smacks his lips. "You're gonna fuck him soon, I can tell." He says while Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"No I won't." She says, almost a promise to herself more then a statement to Cody.

"He wants you." He states in a slurred tongue. "He wants you bad."

Gabriella's throat closes up. It didn't matter if he was drunk or not, what he was saying was making the temperature in her body rise. Was he lying? Did he know? Was there a way that guys knew when other guys wanted someone else? "No he doesn't." She says while barely breathing.

"Uhh… everyone does." He states while Gabriella could feel her cheeks turn bright red. Immediately, out of reflex, her arms cross over her stomach. Her fingers grab the rubber band that was on her wrist and begin snapping. For some reason, that made her extremely uncomfortable.

Finally, there was a bang and Gabriella's head whips around to see that Troy was standing there by himself, looking towards the door that must have just slammed shut. He shrugs his perfect shoulders up slightly, before moving his head and connecting his drunken eyes with Gabriella's sober ones, making her stomach flip.

After staggering over, he falls down onto the couch and smiles up at her. "Hey." He says in a weird voice that Gabriella remembers was his drunken one.

She hesitates for a moment before giving him a small smile. "Hey." Her eyes dart to where Olivia just stormed out of and she raises her brows in curiosity. She needed to know what had just happened; otherwise it would have eaten her up alive. "What was that about?"

Troy stares at her blankly for a moment. "What about?" He asks slurred while Gabriella rolls her eyes. He was not easy drunk.

"Um… that?" She points to the door that Olivia had just stormed out of and watches as Troy's head turns around slightly.

"Uh… I don't know where that door was made." Troy says as his head tilts to the side curiously while staring at the door. "I bet it's…" He never finishes what he says because Gabriella hits him on the back of the head. He cringes and then begins to rub his head. "What the fuck?" He asks in a voice much higher then his own as he glares at her for a moment.

"Not the door, Olivia!" Gabriella exclaims while throwing her hands up in the air. She was getting frustrated right now, but what else could she expect? Wasted Troy was never someone easy to get along with.

"Oh!" Troy exclaims, completely forgetting that his head hurt. "I dunno, she hates me."

Gabriella rolls her eyes. "She doesn't hate you."

Troy nods his head obnoxiously. "Yes she does." He responds while staring down a cup on the coffee table sitting in front of him. "I don't care."

Gabriella rolls her eyes again. "She doesn't hate you and of course you care."

Troy shrugs his shoulders. "She said to call her when I wasn't um… drunk off my ass or something. But I'm not!" He exclaims while throwing his arms up in the air.

She giggles a little, knowing that he was completely wasted even if he didn't believe so. "What ever you say Troy."

He shrugs his shoulders and grabs at her arm, sending sparks through her entire body. "Come on! I'm thirsty."

She rolls her eyes, knowing that he was probably going to throw up his entire stomach before the night was over. Her head shakes. "I think you've had enough." She says while trying to resist him, but his arm was too strong.

He pulls her into a standing position and staggers a little bit. But then the childish look completely disappears from his face as he leans down towards her ear and places a hand on her upper arm. Shock waves were radiating from her body as he was pulling his towards hers. "You're not drunk enough for me."

Gabriella shivers a little as she suddenly noticed how dark it was in the room. Her eyes glance around to see that people were making out all over couches. It made the temperature in the room spike up a thousand degrees. Troy seemed to be pushing his body closer to her, if that was even possible. "Why would you want me drunk?" She asks while biting her bottom lip and looking up into his crystal blue eyes that seemed to be radiating passion.

Troy smirks down at her for a moment. "'Cuz then we don't have to be… r-respondsible." He staggers out.

Her eyes grow wide for a moment. What did that mean? He and Olivia just got into a fight, and he was drunk right now. He probably meant something stupid like go throw water balloons at someone or something. But Gabriella's heart was soaring in a different way. Did this mean he wanted her a little? Her mind was spinning at the speed of light. What did that mean?

But her question was never answered. Troy's face pale a little and Gabriella feels his grip on her arm lighten. She knew exactly what that meant. His eyes seem to loose focus on her, so she grabs his arm and leads him towards the front door that Olivia stormed out of only a few moments ago.

"Come on." She says while kneeling him down in the cool grass that was just starting to collect dew. The night was cooling off and Gabriella rubs her arms up and down while Troy stares a the ground for awhile.

A familiar regurgitating sound erupts from Troy's mouth as Gabriella looks down to see the way to familiar sick come from his open mouth. Her stomach turns at the smell, though she was slightly numb from doing it almost everyday before. But the sight of her best friend doing it, made her own stomach turn.

Troy pants a little as she could see him close his eyes. She drops down to her knees and places a hand on his back while he throws up again, then pants as sweat was trickling down his forehead. "I don't know how the fuck you did it everyday." He breathes out before doing it again, each time making Gabriella's eyes burn at the sight.

She sighs as she rubs his back a little. "I got used to it." She says while Troy glances up at her.

He sighs as he falls backwards away from the contents that were just in his stomach and looks up at the stars. Gabriella stares down at him, desperately wanting to hold his hand right now, and just tell him right there that she loved him. But that would be impossible. He had Olivia, and didn't want her.

"Never get used to it again." He warns while shutting his eyes and cringing a little. She smiles a little, at least knowing he was caring.

* * *

**A/N: I'm not sure how much I like this chapter, but I'm trying. Sorry I'm not updating as often, but things are super busy so I'm not going to be able to do it like I used to. Anyways, thanks for your reviews! They mean a lot.**


	19. Can't Fight This Feeling

His head was throbbing. Someone had just run over it with a thousand pound truck, then decided to reverse it and do it again. His body felt completely distant to his mind as it also felt like it weighed four-hundred thousand pounds. He couldn't move, probably not even his pinky. If there was anything that felt close to dying, it was probably how he was feeling right now. The eyelids that hid the piercing blue eyes felt like twenty pounds themselves, there was no way he could lift them open. To say he had a hang over would be an understatement.

Troy didn't even know how he got home last night. He didn't remember anything past hanging out by the counter with his friends drinking something filled with alcohol. He couldn't remember what happened at the party, if the cops busted it or not. Nothing. He had no idea how he ended up sprawled out beneath his covers in just his red and black boxers.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Troy raises one eyelid to look around his room. His clothes from the night before weren't on the floor like he would have expected them to be if he threw them there. The blinds were closed, with no sun coming in, since he could hear the pitter-patter of rain crashing on the roof. The wind was howling against the side of the house, begging for entrance inside, but being denied entry. It made his head hurt even more.

His body was also sore from the game he played last night. He knew he kicked ass, no one had to tell him. Olivia seemed happy when he talked to her about it. How'd she get home last night? He couldn't even remember hanging out with her besides in the beginning when he was with the rest of the gang. But he wasn't going to deny it, the whole time he was sneaking glances over towards where Gabriella had gone off to.

In the distance interrupting his thoughts, a large wrapping noise pierces through his ears. His head practically shakes at the sound, so he throws his pillow over his head and yells "Go away!"

The door opens and Troy could hear footsteps near his bed. "Honey…" His mother's normally soothing voice coos as it sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Troy right now. "It's almost noon."

Troy groans as he pushes he pillow against his head. "I think I'm sick…" He lies, knowing that he wasn't sick at all; it was just the effect of the alcohol. He could feel the weight shift on his bed, knowing that his mother just sat down. God he wanted her to leave.

"You were fine last night." Her voice soothes as Troy suddenly feels insanely guilty. If only she knew.

"It came on fast." He lies again while feeling a hand on his shoulder.

"Gabriella's over. I'll just tell her to go home."

Troy's ears perk up. For the first time all morning, he opens his eyes and brings his head under from the darkness of the pillow to see his mother smiling softly. "Gab's here?" He asks, suddenly his headache not hurting as much as he thought it was before. His mom flashes him a knowing smile, and then stands up. "Tell her to come in."

Mrs. Bolton raises her eyebrows while crossing her arms in an annoying 'I told you so' kind of way. "I thought you said you weren't feeling well?" She states more as a question then a statement.

Troy raises his head a little more, but then cringes while feeling shocks of pain send through his body. "Just tell her."

Mrs. Bolton smiles and leans down to kiss her son on the forehead. Troy could almost feel a hole burn into his skull at the impact point. "I hope you feel better." She states before Troy watches her open the door and walk out of it.

Troy's heart was pounding hard. Why was he nervous? He had been with Gabriella a million times before. But then again, there hadn't been a lot of times that he had been in his underwear lying on his bed. The sensible thing would be to quickly get clothes on, but he physically could not move. So Troy's legs slide beneath his red comforter, so you could just see his starting to form pecks and abs.

His piercing blue eyes lift up as he watches the gorgeous girl walk into his room. She was wearing a white hoodie, with jeans and a turquoise beater underneath. Her hair was completely down and her eyes had small bags under them, proving to Troy that she probably just woke up. Her small hand closes the door behind her after walking in. "You look like shit." She says while Troy rolls his eyes.

"Nice to see you too." He mumbles, probably over dramatizing the pain he was in right now.

Gabriella walks in and sits on the edge of the bed, Troy suddenly wishing that he had gotten up to work out or something, so his muscles might actually look bigger then what they were right now. He lets the blanket drop though, so she had a full view of his bare chest. "Let me guess… you have a headache."

Troy shakes his head, though it was painful to do it. "Try a terrorist decided to set a bomb off in my head." He says while rubbing his forehead to add to the effect.

Gabriella laughs a little while Troy suddenly realizes how incredible that sound really was. It could keep him going on his death bed. Just to be able to hear it again would keep him going. "Pretty sure it can't be that bad. You puked up everything in your stomach; I'm surprised that doesn't hurt."

Troy didn't even notice that he was completely hungry. He threw up? What else did he do? He couldn't remember any of it. Nothing at all. "I puked?" He asks questioningly as Gabriella nods slowly, letting the curls on her head fall as she does so.

"So… black out?" Gabriella says while Troy nods a little.

"What else happened?" He asks curiously, praying to God that he didn't dance with a lampshade on his head or something stupid like that.

Gabriella hesitates for a moment. Was it that bad? What happened? What was going on? "You uh…" She says for a moment. "Um… said some stupid stuff. Puked out your guts, got into a fight with Olivia…"

Troy's stomach drops for a moment. He got into a fight with her? Over what? He couldn't remember any of it. His stomach drops even further. Did they break up? That wouldn't have been good. But the part that was scaring Troy the most was, would he really be upset if they did. "We did? What happened? What did I say?"

Gabriella pauses again. "I have no idea. You wouldn't tell me."

He closes his eyes and rubs his head, trying to force the memory back into it. Faint events were starting to enter his head. There was something with a trash bag slam dunk contest he won. He could remember hitting his head against the wall after thinking it was the bathroom, which would explain his headache.

But then a hazy memory starts to fill his head. He closes his eyes more to find that it was slowly seeping through his brain, washing over him slowly…

_Troy could feel the alcohol run through his veins faster as he throws the paper ball into the trash can, completely missing it. The other three guys, one of them including Chad, boo and shake their heads. "You play like that Bolton and you'll play the bench." A senior on his team states while he takes another sip of alcohol from the red cup that was filled with his drink of choice, Caribou Lou._

"_Whatever. I could smoke your asses. Did you see me tonight?" He says while pretending to shoot a ball at an invisible basket. The guys all laugh while Troy looks over to catch a glimpse of Jeff with his hand on Gabriella's arm. Troy could feel the beast within begin to get angrier, and the alcohol was definitely not helping with the situation. He wanted blood, no, he wanted Jeff's blood. He didn't have a right to be talking with Troy's best friend. _

"_Yeah, yeah, you got game…" The senior says while glancing back at where Troy suddenly found his girlfriend talking to Julia. "On and off the court." _

_The guys laugh except Chad who just had a dumb expression on his face. He wasn't completely wasted, but it would be a lie to say he was sober as well. Troy laughs too obnoxiously for his own good before the guys pat him on the back. _

_Almost as if on cue, Julia and Olivia come into view. Olivia trips a little and falls onto Troy's shoulder. Troy looks up to see Chad walk over towards Taylor somewhere, while the other guys were talking to two other girls. "Hey hotshot." Olivia says while draping her body over Troy. _

_He smiles down at her, aiming for her lips to kiss but accidentally hits her nose instead. Both of them laugh obnoxiously, not realizing how stupid they actually looked. Troy lets go of her and leans against the wall to steady himself from falling over. "You look so hot…" He says while leaning down towards her to take in her scent. _

_But he was stopped half-way when his eyes look up to see that Gabriella was now making her way towards the couch where Cody was sitting. Fire shoots through Troy's intoxicated veins as he narrows his eyes at the sight. He had barely been with her all night, and he was now getting angry._

"_They'd be so cute together." Olivia says in suddenly an annoying slurred voice that Troy didn't even notice was there before. His piercing blue eyes leave Gabriella and look down at Olivia angrily. The alcohol that was now surging through his body just made that statement worse then what it really was._

"_No they wouldn't." Troy says angrily while narrowing his eyes at her. Olivia's mouth seemed to hanging open. "He can fuck himself."_

"_Um… yeah they would. She should get someone good instead of hanging around you." Olivia lets slip out while Troy's eyes narrow to hers again._

"_What the fuck?" Troy asks with anger laced into his voice. If there was a sensible side in him right now, it would have known that Olivia didn't mean it, she was just drunk right now._

"_People think you're dating. Someone asked me last week if we broke up. Which is stupid, cuz we kiss all the time…" She says while going off in a tangent. "Anyhow, do you know how annoying it is for someone to say that?"_

_Troy's mouth hangs open for a moment. "Who cares?"_

_Olivia looks at him angrily. "Who cares! I care! You're my boyfriend! Not hers."_

"_Umm… we're best friends. And I'm not her boyfriend. I never asked her out. Remember? I asked you out… We were on the couch and I gave you…" Troy says like she was stupid and that only makes Olivia angrier. _

"_You hang out with her more then me!" Olivia yells, finally letting out what must have been bothering her for awhile._

"_Uh, you don't change anything." Troy says slurred while Olivia narrows her eyes at him. _

"_We're dating! We should be able to fucking see each other once in awhile instead of you messing around with your 'Best friend" She says while trying to put quotes around best friend, but it just made her fingers fly everywhere._

"_Sorry she matters to me!" He exclaims while the room spins a little._

"_Do I not matter to you?" She yells, even though she would never ask a question like that when she was sober, nor would she be getting upset about this._

"_I never said that! You put words in my mouth all the time. I just want to talk on my own!" He yells back while slamming his fist against the wall beside him._

"_You can talk to yourself because I'm leaving. Call me when you're not drunk off your ass." She says while spinning around and walking towards the door. Troy stares at her for a moment. The fight was completely random, but it didn't seem to shake him too badly. So he turns his head towards the brown-eyed girl who he really wanted to be around, and not his girlfriend…_

Troy's eyes open again to see Gabriella still sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at him intently. He sighs while leaning his head up against the backboard. The fight was stupid, and really wasn't about anything, but both of them were drunk, and they seemed to be fighting way too often lately. Over stupid stuff like that, which the fights usually lasted three minutes and then they'd make up a few hours later.

"It was over something stupid." He states while looking at Gabriella. "It's all we ever do now."

It could have been his imagination, but he swore he saw Gabriella's eyes have hope gloss through them. Her face seemed to brighten up as soon as he said that, but then tries to cover it up. Was that good? He wasn't sure. But he probably just imagined it. "Over what?" She says in a small voice.

Troy opens his mouth for a moment, knowing that most of their fights lately had to do with Gabriella. But he couldn't tell her that. It would just make him seem too stalkerish. "Stupid stuff." He says even though Gabriella was the furthest thing from stupid.

Silence erupts between them for a moment. But then Gabriella looks down at the comforter. "Maybe you guys just need time away from each other. She's going away right?" Gabriella asks. Troy swears he hears hope laced in her voice he smiles a little and nods.

"Next week Sunday." He says. Was it bad that he couldn't tell whether or not he was happy she was leaving or sad?

Gabriella nods slowly while taking a deep breath. "It will be fine." She says and looks up, connecting their eyes together.

"I guess." He says in a low voice, while neither one of them let their eyes leave the other. He wasn't sure if he wanted it to be fine or not. All he could think about was the girl sitting in front of him, and how incredible she looked right now. "Er… how'd I get home?" Troy asks slowly while Gabriella looks away for a moment.

"I drove your car back… and washed your clothes." She says while finally holding up his maroon shirt and jeans that he was wearing last night. Troy's stomach suddenly drops. "They smelled like puke."

He raises his eyebrow and smirks at her. "So… you took my clothes off? Did anything else happen?" He asks while wiggling his eyebrows. Gabriella rolls her eyes in responds and tosses the clothes on the floor.

"Besides the fact that you were passed out at the time? Mmm… probably not." She teases while Troy almost finds himself disappointed that nothing happened. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help it. Knowing how he was feeling was wrong was getting to be a regular thought.

"Damn… I thought I got lucky." He says while watching Gabriella's perfectly smooth cheeks redden in a blush perfectly. He leans forward, not hiding the fact that he was just in his boxers anymore since she practically saw everything last night.

"You wish." She says. Troy smirks back. This was probably one of the first times that Gabriella hadn't brought up Olivia when he had said something like that. Perfect. As long as neither one of them thought about his girlfriend, they should be ok.

"I don't have to." He says while Gabriella blushes again.

"Pretty sure you do." She flirts back, while smiling at him in a sexy way. "See…" She says while reaching down to the floor to pick up a basketball that was just lying there. "You may score on the court." She says while rolling the ball in her hands. "But you can't score with me." Her smile grows as she chest passes the ball to him, hitting his chest painfully since his reflexes were somewhat slow from the hang over.

"Bullshit." He rubs his chest slightly, his head still pounding, but it was now in sync with his heart. Troy places the ball on the ground and then crawls away from the spot he was in, tackling Gabriella to the bed before she knew what hit her. A squeal erupts from her throat as Troy pins her there, staring down into her deep chocolate brown eyes that he could melt into. The way the light brown specks shown through.

A magnetic force was trying to pull them together as Troy closes his eyes. He wanted to give into it so badly, but before he knew it, there was an empty space where she was a moment ago. His eyes open up to see Gabriella staring at him with a look that was just as scared as someone who just witnessed death. Both of them knew what almost just occurred, but neither one of them wanted to say anything about it.

Neither one of them also heard the door knock, and then open. All Troy could do was stare at the gorgeous girl who was sitting across from him on the bed. This wasn't right. It was completely messed up. He had always wanted Gabriella, but right now, he didn't just want her. No. It was more then that. He wanted to be WITH her.

A throat clears and Troy suddenly shoots his head around towards the door. His stomach drops about forty feet. It felt like someone had just shot him in the stomach. No. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. Standing in the doorway, was a small her with a look on her face that was completely unreadable. Olivia was standing in the frame, staring at the two. Oh no, this wasn't good. Troy was almost naked, and both of them were sitting on his bed.

"Am I interrupting something?" Olivia asks in a voice that didn't sound angry, but it didn't sound happy either.

"Olivia… hey…Uh… no. I was just leaving." Gabriella says while frantically standing up from the bed and looking between the couple.

Olivia's eyes leave Troy to look at Gabriella. She definitely didn't look mad. But she didn't look happy at all either. "You don't have to." She says in a small voice.

Gabriella shakes her head. "No… I was just seeing if Troy was ok." She says while glancing at Troy, who was still in his boxers. His mouth was hanging open, not knowing what to say at all. This looked bad, no, it looked awful. "I'll see you guys later."

With that Gabriella sprints out the door. A moment of silence erupts as Olivia and Troy just stare at each other for a moment. This was exactly what their fight was about yesterday. She was probably furious.

Olivia shuts the door behind her and walks into the room. Troy was trying to read. "How are you feeling?" She asks in a small voice, but avoiding his eyes.

Troy swallows loudly. He didn't want to do this to her. As confusing as his feelings were, he still didn't want to hurt Olivia. He hadn't been fair to her at all lately, and he was feeling incredibly guilty. "Fine…" A moment of silence. "Look… Liv… about last night…"

Olivia holds up her hand while still not looking at him. "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry. We were both drunk. I didn't mean anything I said." She says while finally raising her eyes to him and connecting them. They seemed to have sadness in them. Longing. It was at that moment that Troy knew he had to make it up to her. He wasn't being fair. He was being a sucky boyfriend.

"I'm sorry too." He says while lifting up his arms. She walks over and sits down on his bed, letting his bare arms wrap around her. Slowly, he sniffs her hair, closing his eyes, knowing that this didn't feel right at all. But it didn't matter. No matter how badly he wanted to be with Gabriella, he couldn't do that to Olivia. She had been too good to him, and he was going to try to do the best he could to make it up to her.

Unfortunately, his heart had other ideas…

* * *

**A/N: I know my chapters have been REALLY slow lately, and not really exciting, but hang in there. The chapters should pick up now. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. You guys are incredible!**


	20. Our Lips Are Sealed

The worst day of Gabriella's life. It stuck out in her head more than any other. It was a day that was burned into her memory. One of the strange things about bad days is that you can remember every detail. What the color looked like on the walls, how your shirt smelled. What you have for breakfast. What your first hour teacher's shirt was. Everything. But this day was the worst Gabriella could have ever imagined. It was the day she hit rock bottom. After that day, nothing would ever be the same. In the end, that day was what saved her. But at the time, it ruined her…

_Gabriella's chest was rising up and down at an incredible rate. Her hands were shaking as her little feet storm out of the library. Her stomach was in complete knots as the echo of her breathing was filling the hallway. Nothing else was being noticed by her. The only thing she could hear was her small heartbeat and the breath in her throat. As she enters the busy hallway during lunch, she couldn't see anyone else. Her eyes were tunnel vision, and nothing was going to distract her right now. She had to get to the bathroom, or something bad was going to happen._

_Her body was shaking from the fight she had just had with Troy. How could he call her Anorexic? She wasn't! Didn't he see this was necessary? Didn't he see that she had no choice? She couldn't eat. There was no way she looked sick, besides the fact that she was huge. Her eyes glance to the side towards a glass case. Her reflection was staring back at her, the reflection of someone who could be compared to as an elephant._

_Her breathing increases again. First Taylor, now Troy. The one person she didn't want to find out she wasn't eating knew. Her body was shaking at the thought. How could she be so stupid to let him find out? But he was completely off base. There was nothing about his accusation that was right, and he knew it. So why did he corner her like that? Why did he make her take a bite of that sandwich?_

_Her mind was so wrapped up with everything that she didn't even notice running into a dark girl with her shoulder. "Gabs! Hey…" Taylor says while Gabriella just glances a her, panic in her pale, lifeless eyes. "Honey, what's wrong? You look like someone just died."_

"_I'm fine…" Gabriella completely lies, feeling her voice crack. "I have to go…"_

_Taylor looks at her with concern in her eyes. After she had found out Gabriella wasn't eating, she had been on complete watch of her. Not that she needed to be. What Gabriella was doing was perfect healthy; at least, she thought it was perfectly healthy. "I'll go with you…"_

"_No!" Gabriella exclaims, her voice still shaking. She could feel tears burning in her eyes from what just happened in the library. "I have to go meet a teacher. I'll see you later." She says while shoving out of Taylor's grasp and starts briskly walking down the hallway._

_Everything in her life was coming crashing down. Taylor knew, and now her best friend knew. That was the absolute last person she ever wanted to know. Now he wouldn't talk to her anymore, since he thought she was a freak. The tears that were burning in her eyes finally slip down her face as she doesn't notice anyone else in the hallway. All her pale eyes were locked on was the second door after you turned the corner._

_Gabriella forcefully pushes the light wood door open and sprints inside. Her eyes look up to the five mirrors with white sinks in front of them, taunting her. In all of the reflections where her huge face. Her eyes grow wide looking at her fifth chin, trailing up to her Charlie Brown cheeks, her puffy eyes, and her huge lips. She could be eight-hundred pounds, even though she was less then a hundred. She takes three steps towards the mirror, and lets her fingertips touch the smooth surface, trailing down. She was huge._

_The anger from the argument, her fear of someone finding out, and the stress that had built up from the weeks before finally just boil over. Tears fall down her face like acid rain as she couldn't take it any more. Her small feet turn on the off-white tile and burst into the matching off-white stall. She doesn't even bother locking the door, since no one was going to come in here. She slowly lifts up her sleeve and then lifts up the toilet seat, expertly separating her two fingers from the other ones and closing her eyes, leaning towards the toilet and placing them inside her mouth, not even bothering to hear the footsteps on the linoleum floor._

_Before she knew what was happening, she hears a gasp. "Gabriella stop!" A voice says. Her body freezes as she turns around slowly to see Taylor standing in the door way with horror stricken in her face. Her mouth hangs open stupidly, panic stretched across her face._

"_Go away!" Gabriella screams as she jumps up from the kneeling position and grabs the door to the stall, slamming it shut. Her body was shaking at a tremendous rate. This wasn't happening. She had to do this. Why didn't anyone else understand? She had to do this! _

"_Gabriella please don't." Taylor says, Gabriella hearing tears in her eyes. But Gabriella just kneels in front of the toilet again._

"_Stay away from me!" Gabriella screams in a sick, disgusting voice. She didn't care about anything else right now. All she cared about was letting this poisonous food rid her system._

"_Just stay there. Please don't do it. Don't move." Taylor pleads and Gabriella suddenly hears footsteps run out of the bathroom. Panic stretches across her body, clouding her to think clearly. She had to get this done before Taylor got a teacher. It had to be quick and fast._

_The small hands grip the edge of the porcelain toilet as she closes her eye and takes deep breathes. A wave of dizziness was starting to wash over her as her body was shaking like she had just seen death twelve times. She had to do this before a teacher came. She wasn't going to leave with out purging._

_After another deep breath, she lifts two fingers up and feels around in her mouth for the perfect spot. Her fingers trigger the spot, turning her stomach and making the acid rush up her throat. Her mouth opens as the contents burn against her cheeks, making a sickening sound while spilling out into the tub. The familiar intense scent of vomit fills the bathroom as Gabriella gasps desperately for air. Her dull eyes look down into the toilet to see that not enough of her contents spilled out. Most people would realize there was nothing else to come out, but Gabriella's mind was so twisted that she needed more._

_She leans over again and goes to repeat the process, placing the two fingers in her mouth when suddenly there were multiple footsteps on the floor. Shock takes over her face as a large bang occurs, ripping the lock off of the white door and letting it swing open. Before she knew what was happening, two strong arms grab her waist and pull her backwards, out of where she needed to be most._

"_LET ME GO!" She screams in a high pitched, insane voice. Her body was shaking again, craving purging for the second time. The small figure wrestles with who ever was pulling her back, her brittle nails breaking as she tries to claw her way free._

"_Stop Gab… You have to stop." A deep, voice makes her body freeze. The dull brown eyes suddenly look up and connect with the piercing, ocean drowning blue. Troy's arms were secured tightly around her small waist, and his face was as white as his warm up jacket, looking like he had just seen a ghost._

_Anger fills up in the bathroom. He was stopping her. She needed to do this and he was stopping her. She begins wrestling out of his grasp again, clawing at his arms, drawing a little blood. "Let me go Troy! Get out!"_

_Troy's grip only tightens as he pulls her to his chest more. "Never. Gabriella you have to stop…"_

"_You don't know anything!" She screams while finding her energy was going quickly. The tears were falling down her face at an intense rate as sobs were starting to erupt. "You don't know what it's like staring into the mirror and seeing a hideous figure! You don't know what it's like to be huge! I HAVE to do this! There's nothing wrong with me!" She screams, making the other two dark people in the room cringe at the sound._

_The sobs overcome her as she slips to the ground and gives up the fight. Troy flips her in his arms so hers were now around his neck, sobbing into his chest. Both of their bodies were shaking, Gabriella's so much more though. "You need help…" Troy's voice says, shaking. "Please Gabriella. You can't do this." He begs._

_She looks up into his face to see that there were tears falling rapidly from his beautiful eyes. Troy never cried. He was usually strong. When they were younger Gabriella could remember him crying. But now, he only did it when something was really bad. It shook Gabriella up. "You don't understand…" She says in a small voice._

_Troy shakes his head, his body trembling. "You're right… I don't. But you're gonna kill yourself Gab. If you keep this up you're gonna die…" He says with his voice trembling and he reflexively pulls Gabriella closer to him. "I can't let you go." By this time, Gabriella hadn't even noticed that both Chad and Taylor were standing there, watching the scene unfold. She finds herself holding Troy tighter, like her lifeline. She didn't want to change, but with Troy the way he was now, it was scarier. "We're gonna get you help Gab. You need help."_

_She had been denying to herself this whole time that there was a problem. But there was something about being in Troy's arms. At the moment she didn't want to, but she couldn't deny that this wasn't normal. "I know…" She whispers softly, letting both their tears fall down their face in sync with each other, matching the beating of their in-sync hearts. _

The echo of the orange ball pounds against the large house. The brisk December Albuquerque wind swirls in the air while the echo is carried through it. The sky was a light grey, showing that it could rain at any moment, but refused to. The bumps of the ball roll against the smooth hand as the owner goes in for a perfect lay-up, successfully making it, and coming back down to the ground with a soft thud.

Troy grabs his rebound and passes it back to the dark boy standing at the free throw line. The air was cold, so he was wearing a white sweatshirt and a pair of black warm up pants. It was Friday, and Troy's head was spinning faster then a twister on the loose in Kansas. "So… what'd she say after?" Chad asks while driving the ball into the basket, but Troy stops him by playing defense.

He steals the ball away and takes it back to the top of the key and looks up at the basket. For a moment, time stops as he closes his eyes and lets the memory of last night float into his head, pulling him back.

_Troy rolls off of her and stares up at the ceiling. He could hear her uneven breath still gasping for breath. He could see her chest heaving up and down as his mind was working in overdrive. He felt dirty. What he just did felt completely dirty. It should have felt good, to be able to control your girlfriend like that or give her the pleasure she deserved. But to him, he felt dirtier then ever before._

"Nothing." Troy responds while bending and shooting the ball perfectly into the net. As he falls gracefully back to the ground, he runs a hand through his hair as Chad gets the rebound. "She didn't say anything."

Chad's dark eyes look up to Troy's tormented piercing blue. All week long he had tried to make it up to Olivia for constantly thinking and wanting to be around Gabriella. Last night seemed to be the perfect way to say goodbye also, since Olivia was on the plane to Florida with her family already. But what happened almost made Troy want to wash his hands constantly. It didn't feel right at all.

"Maybe that was her first time doing it. Maybe she was just freaked out or something." Chad says while trying to shoot the ball, but Troy runs up and plays defense once again.

"She said… she got fingered… once before… by her ex." Troy gets out between trying to get the orange ball away from his best guy friend.

_Troy's experienced hands were moving their way across Olivia's bare stomach. Her shirt was discarded in the corner of the room somewhere, leaving her in only a red lace bra. The glow of the TV was highlighting their skin as Troy's body pinned Olivia's to the floor. His shirt was also off, and he could feel his jeans rubbing up against her groin through her own jeans. He was completely hard, and his lips were trailing across her neck._

"_Troy…" She moans into his ear as he smiles at the sound. That was his hand's cue to reach down towards her zipper. He pulls it, the sound of it almost louder then the TV. The fingers unbutton the pants button as the piercing blue eyes connect with the light brown, almost asking her permission._

"_Is this ok?" He asks, hesitant as he didn't want to scare her off._

_Their eyes stay connected as her illuminated head nods slightly, as Troy's hand slips beneath the red lace thong to massage her folds._

Troy watches as Chad makes his shot, and feels a brisk chill of the cool air against his hands. The hands that felt so unbelievably dirty. It didn't seem to fit last night when he did it, and he couldn't deny that the second he put his fingers into her body, he couldn't help but think of Gabriella.

"So… I'm sure it's just a little awkward." Chad says while Troy grabs the ball that was lying in his grass. "Things will go back to normal and you'll be sucking faces again after she comes back."

Troy looks up at Chad. Why not tell him what was on his mind? It had been eating inside him for so long. If he just told SOMEONE, then maybe he'd feel better. Even if it was just a little. "That's just it. I… er…" He says while scratching the back of his neck. "I don't know if I want it to go back to normal."

He lets out a sigh of relief, as though he was letting go of a huge burden that was resting on his chest. His weight immediately felt better as Chad cocks an eyebrow, obviously confused. "What?"

Troy takes another deep breath. He turns around and shoots the ball. "I don't know." He says while watching it bounce off the backboard and fall to the ground. He walks over and picks it up, then walks over to Chad and shoves the ball into his arms. "I-think-I-love-Gab."

He didn't even realize what came out of his mouth until it did. Chad's jaw drops four feet as the drowning blue eyes grow wide. That didn't just come out of his mouth, did it? His body seemed to be put into shock as Chad was looking at him like he had just seen a ghost.

"What?" Chad says slowly, making Troy even more nervous about the situation than what he was before. Did he just say that? Out loud? That was the first time that had ever happened, and it scared Troy. It scared him like hell.

"I don't know!" He says while running another hand through his chestnut hair. "Maybe I don't love her, but I don't know… everything about her." He says while holding his hands out as if to draw her shake with his hands. "I can't stop thinking about her!" Chad stands there, probably speechless, which makes Troy even angrier. "Don't look at me like that!"

Chad holds up his hands in defense and shakes his head, with what looked to Troy like a triumphant smirk on his face. "Dude… I told you."

Troy shoots an angry glance at Chad and shakes his head. "Don't go there with me." He says while watching Chad shoot, just realizing they had given up their game of one on one to just shoot. He closes his eyes and puts his head into his hands. "She's like my fucking sister!"

Chad shakes his head again. "Dude. No she's not and you know it."

Troy opens his eyes to look at Chad and lets out a groan. "I don't know what to do!"

The dark boy walks over and places a hand on Troy's shoulder. "What I do when I'm stressed, besides fuck Taylor and shoot hoops…"

Troy sends daggers at Chad. "I can't exactly fuck Olivia since the whole point of my frustration is the fact that I'd want Gabriella the whole time if I did." He says in a low threatening voice as Chad rolls his eyes.

"Let me finish man." He says and removes his hand from Troy's shoulder. "I let it out. Just scream dude, it feels so much better."

Troy raises his eyebrows. Scream? Like yell? What would that do? It wouldn't do anything! "I don't know what you're smoking man, but that's not gonna help." Troy says, completely convinced that there was no way just screaming would help with his issues. But Chad rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

"Just do it." He responds.

The piercing blue eyes close as Troy takes in a deep breath. He opens one eye up to see that Chad was completely serious about this. "Just scream?" He says as Chad nods slowly.

Troy takes in one more deep breath. He then leans back a little and opens his mouth, letting out a huge yell. It was like letting out all of his anger in just one voice. Weeks of his tortured mind from trying to figure out what the whole Gabriella thing was feeling, to basketball, to everything in between. It was all coming out right now. After finally feeling satisfied, Troy stands up full length again and lets out a sigh to see Chad chuckling slightly.

"Feel good?" The dark guy asks as Troy tilts his head to the side for a moment, thinking about it.

"It felt good. But it didn't fucking do anything!" He says while throwing his hands up in the air for the dramatic effect.

Chad shrugs. "It works for me."

Troy glares at him. "Great… you want me to throw a parade?"

Chad rolls his eyes and then shoots the ball again. "Dude, chill, I'm trying to help."

Troy sighs, immediately feeling guilty for being an ass when he had no reason to be. "Sorry man. I'm just… frustrated." He breathes out the last word like it was fire running wild. "What the fuck am I gonna do?"

Chad sighs while walking towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder as though that would ease the pain or something. "I don't know man. Just think about it while she's gone. You got a week to figure it out. But in the mean time…" He says while wiggling his eyebrows. "You can have some fun."

Troy raises his own eyebrows. "What does that mean?"

Chad smirks. "It means." He says while chucking the ball to Troy's fingertips. "You can flirt with Gabriella all the fuck you want and no one will stop you."

Suddenly, Troy wasn't feeling as frustrated anymore.

* * *

**A/N: I know this was like flashback overload, but I didn't want to have to put you guys through reading about Troy and Olivia, but I didn't want to not write it. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. You guys are amazing!**


	21. Against All Odds

"Montez! Would you please come up here and show Ritcher how it's done? I can't take it anymore." A large booming voice enters Gabriella's ear who immediately looks up from the piece of music she had been staring at for the past ten minutes and looks scared. Ms. Darbus eyes which seemed to be bugging out of her head from her huge glasses were staring at her. Gabriella looks from left to right slowly while getting up, to see the rest of her Monday choir class was working on their next concert, since their Christmas one was last week.

It was the first day Olivia wasn't there, and Gabriella had barely seen Troy all day. She was a little disappointed, since the way they had been acting would have led her to believe that maybe he'd want to be with her more. But he had seemed distracted for the first half of the day. Maybe he really did miss her like there was no tomorrow.

"What does she need help with?" Gabriella asks while looking at the sophomore blonde girl who was sitting next to another dark haired junior named Travis, and Ms. Darbus, looking extremely frustrated. But that was nothing compared to Ms. Darbus, who looked like she was going to rip someone's head off.

"Help her with the harmony she and Urcher are attempting." She says while waving her hand like the other two students were pieces of trash. Gabriella goes to protest for a moment, knowing that she had to work on her own solo for a different song. But Darbus shoots her a look that could kill, so Gabriella keeps her mouth closed.

"Ok then." She turns to the pair as they were both looking at each other awkwardly. "What's going on here?"

"She needs help." Travis says while fixing his spiked up hair black hair while shaking his head. "We have to come in to auditions next week Wednesday, and we've been at this for days." He says angrily while glancing at Gabriella. She suddenly remembers that Christmas was next week Friday, though they didn't have school next week but had to come in to audition during vacation. "It's hopeless."

Gabriella sighs and shakes her head. "It's not hopeless." She says, even though just looking at the girl she could tell she had confidence issues. Gabriella's eyes glance over to see that Kelsi was looking at her, trying to give her encouragement from across the room. "Here, let's see it."

She looks at the music and sighs, knowing it was one of her favorite songs ever. Her eyes look over the lyrics, the way the song danced off the page perfectly. The deep brown close and immediately sees a familiar chestnut colored hair boy with piercing blue eyes, making her heart almost melt completely as she hums the lyrics.

She pulls herself out of the trance and looks at the two who were staring at her intently. "Let's hear it." She says while handing the girl, Rachael, the music back.

The two look at each other awkwardly for a moment before beginning to sing. The guy's voice sounded hard, rough, like a rocker. She could compare it to Bon Jovi, or some other voice like that. The girl on the other hand, was different. Her sound was powerful, high, like Alicia Keys. Both voices were good, Gabriella wasn't about to deny that. But there was something missing. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was missing.

They finish only a moment before the bell rings throughout the choir classroom. The two immediately stop singing and Gabriella nods. "It's good. But there's something missing. I'll take it home and take a look at it."

"Thanks Gabs." Travis says while shoving the music back into it's folder and throwing it to where the rest of the folders were. Rachael just looks at him for a moment, before picking up her bag and giving Gabriella a small smile in thanks.

Gabriella stands up herself, smoothing out her v neck tight knit and grabs the piece of music that was so close to her heart to walk out the door. Her eyes look left to right, immediately greeted by people who were waving to her. She returns it, and then makes her way down the hallway with out Olivia for the first time since before homecoming.

She stops at her locker and looks up to see that Chad, Sharpay and Taylor were already standing near her and Taylor's. "I hate Mondays!" Sharpay exclaims while Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"It's almost over. Besides, Christmas is next week. Cheer up Shar." She says in way to perky of a voice to be normal.

"Why are you so happy?" Sharpay asks while looking Gabriella up and down. Gabriella smiles to herself a little, knowing exactly why she was so happy, but no one else had to know that.

Suddenly, taking her by complete surprise, two strong arms wrap around her waist and pick her up in a backwards hug. The sensation scares Gabriella for a moment, as she yelps a little while the owner of the arms set her down gently again. Assuming it was Jeff, she turns around, but suddenly was surprised to be met with a pair of piercing, drowning blue eyes.

"Uh… hey!" Gabriella says a little too excitedly as her nerves were practically spazing. It had been so long since he had touched her like that in school, or never less looked at her like that in school. The butterflies in Gabriella's stomach were beating quickly at the thought of it.

"Hey you." Troy says back while smiling brightly at her. "You ready for study hall?"

Gabriella rolls her eyes. "Oh yeah… it's what I live for."

Troy smiles his huge bright white smile that she hadn't seen in a long time. What? This morning he was barely talking to her. What was with the change? Not that she was complaining, but this was just different. And she wasn't going to ask for it to stop anytime soon. "I thought you lived for seeing me."

Gabriella glances to the side to see that Sharpay and Taylor both had their mouths dropped. Chad seemed to be smirking triumphantly, giving her the indication that he had something to do with this. "Don't flatter yourself." She says while giving a flirtatious smile back. Her eyes glance back to their other friends as she nods to them. "We'll see you later."

She begins walking down the hallway, when suddenly she feels an unfamiliar arm wrap around her shoulder. Her eyes grow wide as she looks sideways to see that Troy had a stupid grin on his face. That had barely ever happened since he started going out with Olivia. Was it the fact that Olivia was gone now that Troy needed to flirt with someone? No matter who it was? Or maybe it was just the fact that he had forgotten what it felt like to be around Gabriella and no other girl.

The bell rings just as the two walk in the door to find Kenz nodding at them just as they walk in. He had a Sport's Illustrated out already as the rest of the class was talking. Gabriella and Troy find their familiar seats in the back of the room that they claimed theirs after the first couple weeks. Troy falls down into is with Gabriella sliding in gracefully.

"So are you missing Olivia terribly?" Gabriella asks, watching his reaction intently. Troy looks at her, smirking probably since he knew Gabriella was watching his every move. She couldn't help it though. She wanted to know, no, she HAD to know.

"It's only for a week." Troy says while stretching out his legs under the desk of the person in front of him. "I'm pretty sure I'll live. Besides…" He says while wiggling his eyebrows.

Gabriella giggles and rolls her eyes, loving the way Troy was acting how he used to act before he started dating Olivia. "Besides what Troy Bolton?"

Troy laughs as he pokes Gabriella in the side, making her squirm at the tickling sensation. "I get to hang out with this other girl all week."

Gabriella finds a small smile play across her lips. But she could mess with him. He thought as soon as Olivia left they could enter flirt city again, but nothing turns out that way. Hard to get was a fun game that Gabriella loved to play, especially with Troy Bolton. "Well, maybe that other girl has a booked schedule."

Troy's eyes immediately widen as the smirk on his face slips off. He nervously looks at her, while scratching the back of his neck. "What do you mean? Like you have dates every night?"

Another smile falls onto Gabriella's face as she knew she was in control right now. Exactly where she had wanted to be for the past three and a half months. Her shoulders shrug as she looks away from him. "Whatever you want to call them."

Troy's eyes grow wide again as Gabriella giggles a little at the sight of him. It was almost as though slight anger was stretched across his face, so Gabriella giggles even more. "What the hell…"

She rolls her eyes and places a hand on his arm. "Relax Bolton. Jeff is taking me home tonight and tomorrow I'm going over to Kelsi's to study. Remember?"

His body seems to relax as he nods slowly, turning a little red. "Oh… er… right." He says while playing with the third finger on his right hand, probably missing the usual ring that was around it, but was now lying on Olivia's neck. "Jeff's taking you home? What do you have a thing with him now?"

Gabriella looks at him with her mouth hanging open slightly. She could lie, oh yeah, she could lie and say she did. It might drive him crazy, but it would be a complete lie. But it would be so easy would it be?

She closes her eyes and shakes her head slowly. "No… I don't like him. We're just friends."

The color in Troy's face suddenly glows as he beams at Gabriella. "Oh ok." He says in way too perky of a voice to be natural.

Gabriella rolls her eyes as she suddenly feels another small poke in her side, making her squirm again. "And would you stop it? Or else I'll probably have to hit you with something hard." She says, but continues to beam at him as he beams back.

* * *

"You love me."

The eyes roll slowly as they then glance down at the book sitting in the owner's lap. "You're annoying me right now. I'm trying to get this done."

"But you still love me."

The owner looks up to meet the distinct eyes that would never be washed away from their memory. The owner's heart melts as the bright white teeth show through the perfect soft lips that were almost calling them to just crawl over and jump onto of them.

"You're not shitting." The dark boy says while shaking his head, making the afro move from side to side. "Sorry we're all not genius' like you captain, but some of us actually want to get a good grade on this test so your dad doesn't slit my throat."

Gabriella laughs a little at Chad's comment as Troy gives him a dirty look, and then returns his eyes back to Gabriella. The gang minus Olivia was all over at Kelsi's house, since it seemed that the teachers all decided together to slam tests on them right before winter break. Troy, who could sleep through an entire class and still get a hundred on the test, was playing with his pencil while also playing the game of trying to distract Gabriella as much as humanly possible. The only problem was that it was working.

She couldn't deny that she loved the attention she was getting from him these past two days. To her, it almost seemed like she was getting a second chance at this. Troy was going back to his ways of constantly needed contact with her, or just had to be with her. She found herself falling harder for him than she had before, and it scared the hell out of her.

Gabriella Montez wasn't stupid. She knew the second Olivia came back, this would all be over with. She knew that he would go back the way he was before, and she would be his number two. She knew that this was just a dream that she was living right now. It was dangerous. She was making herself venerable, something she hadn't done in awhile. It was suicide for her heart. But the only problem was, Gabriella Montez got addicted to purging so easily, even though it hurt. To say she was getting addicted to the way Troy made her feel was probably an understatement.

"Why does every teacher want to rape us right now?" Sharpay whines as she throws the pencil down into the book that was wide open and groans. "This is torture!"

Kelsi rubs her eyes small eyes underneath her glasses. "We've been at it for three hours."

Jason sighs as he places his head into the book he was reading, letting a soft thud hit the pages. "Can't we take a break?"

Taylor shakes her head violently. "No. We can go another half hour. I have to pass this test…"

But before she could continue, Gabriella hears a loud slam. Both she and Troy look up to see that Chad had shut her textbook violently and shakes his head, running a hand down his distressed face. "Tay, you'll pass. You out of everyone will. We need a break." He says while standing up and stretching slowly.

Troy lets out a huge sigh in relief and rolls backwards, letting Gabriella get a glimpse of his tan stomach underneath his navy blue long sleeved shirt as it stuck to the floor. "Finally! I thought I'd die from this boring as hell book."

Gabriella looks up to see Taylor rub her temples, obviously frustrated but wasn't saying anything. Chad looked just as relieved as Troy did, as well as Jason, Sharpay, and Zeke. "So what are we doing for Christmas?" Sharpay asks while crawling into Zeke's lap on the couch, then leaning back into his chest.

"What do you mean what are we doing for Christmas?" Taylor asks while still rubbing her temples, but Chad was stroking her back soothingly.

Gabriella eyes dart to see Kelsi and Jason were holding hands while sitting on a smaller couch. It was just then that Gabriella realized she and Troy were sitting on the floor, the only two without a significant other there with them. But Gabriella couldn't help but notice that Troy was inching closer towards her every time she looked away.

"Well, it's Christmas damn it!" Sharpay exclaims while throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm not going a year without a chance to get presents!"

Both Gabriella and Troy roll their eyes at the same time and then look at each other, laughing slightly since they were thinking the same thing. "You guys could crash my house for a party." Chad offers while still stroking Taylor's back.

"How 'bout Christmas Eve!" Sharpay exclaims. It was obviously her favorite time of year, probably since it was just an excuse to get expensive gifts from her parents.

Troy winces a little at the sound of that night. "Sorry guys. I'm going to my Grandparents."

Gabriella knew it was tradition for Troy's family to go to his dad's side of the family's on Christmas Eve, and then his mom's side came over for Christmas day. After the family all left, Gabriella would come over afterwards and they would spend the rest of the holiday by themselves. It had been occurring for the past eight years, but she suddenly wondered if now that Troy had a girlfriend, that would change.

"I'm going to my Tía's that night too." Gabriella says while glancing at Troy who was nodding, knowing that she also went to her father's Hispanic side of the family for Christmas Eve, and during Christmas Day went to her mother's Filipino side. He had finally made his way over to Gabriella and was now smirking at her. Their shoulders brushed up with each other's playfully.

"I wanna have a HUGE party." Sharpay demands while everyone rolls their eyes.

"Shar…" Taylor warns but Sharpay cuts her off.

"No… screw Chad's idea. I want to have a huge party at my house." She demands like a little girl who wanted things only their way. Everyone glances at Chad, who just shrugs his shoulders.

"Less work for me." He mumbles.

Gabriella suddenly jumps as a familiar sound echoes through her ears. Her eyes glance over to see that Troy was letting out a slightly annoyed sigh before pulling out the phone that was vibrating violently in his pocket, also playing his ringtone. Her eyes desperately try to look at the caller, but Troy just backs away and holds up a finger, as if he said it would only take a minute. "Hey…"

He walks to the other side of the room while everyone then becomes quiet and looks down at Gabriella. "What the hell is going on with you two?" Sharpay asks in a harsh whisper while all eyes were on her. She felt slightly self-conscious, so she pulls her knees to her stomach and looks back up at all of them.

"I have no idea." Gabriella says, matching Sharpay's volume.

"He can't get his hands off you." Kelsi whispers while Gabriella couldn't help but feel a little awkward with Chad, Jason, and Zeke staring at her, listening to how the conversation was unfolding.

"He was acting really weird at practice." Jason adds in, while they all glance back to see Troy playing with the curtain with his fingers while still talking on the phone.

"Weird? He was on fire!" Zeke exclaims while throwing his hands up in the air to add to the dramatic effect, making Sharpay squirm a little in his lap. "I've never seen anyone play that good in practice."

All of their eyes look to Chad who seemed to have a strange, yet knowing look written on his features. Gabriella's eyes narrow a little as if the answer was written on his body. "What? Don't look at me!" Chad says while throwing his hands up in the air as if accused of a crime.

Gabriella was just about to open her mouth to say something, when she suddenly hears a clamp and then everyone grows silent. Her head turns around to see that Troy was walking with a closed phone that the screen was illuminating a little from just being on it. He sits down right next to Gabriella again, sending electrical shock waves through her body as their shoulders brushed.

"Who was that?" Sharpay asks nosily as now everyone's eyes were on Troy, so Gabriella folds her legs as Troy stretches his out so you could see the washed color of his jeans.

"Liv." He mumbles in a tone that was completely unexpected. Everyone looks at each other, not sure what to say. Everyone had thought he would have been excited to talk to his girlfriend, that was everyone except for Chad who had another triumphant smirk on his face. What was going on?

"Is everything ok?" Gabriella asks slowly, praying that the answer was no. She felt guilty, but this feeling wasn't going away anytime soon. She had waited so long for Troy to give her this much attention again. It was dangerous, but she couldn't help it. She didn't know if she'd be able to give him up just like that again.

"Why wouldn't it be?" He asks while staring into Gabriella's deep brown orbs that had hope seeping out from them.

"I don't know. You didn't talk to her for long." Gabriella makes up a complete lie, as she couldn't stop watching Troy's facial features to try to read what he was thinking. Was he thinking about her the way she thought about him? It was a stupid question, of course he wasn't. But she couldn't help but pray that maybe, just maybe somewhere deep down, he was staring at her the way she wanted him to look at her, and not just her imagination right now.

"I'm with you." He says while wrapping an arm around Gabriella's thin body and pulling her to him. "And everyone else. I'm not gonna sit and talk to her. She can wait."

Gabriella's heart completely flutters at these words as she doesn't even notice everyone else was staring at the two like they we seeing two lost lovers being reunited. She lets her star white teeth shine through as Troy smirks at her.

Although she felt guilty for feeling like this, she couldn't help but wish that Olivia would just move to Florida and never come back.

* * *

**A/N: I just want to clear this up because there was some confusion. Troy and Olivia did not have sex. He fingered her, and that's it. People thought they had sex, so I just wanted to clear that up. Sorry if I confused people! Anyways, thanks for reading and your reviews!**


	22. Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car

_His body was completely drenched in sweat as his eyes were glued shut. Her bare legs were completely covered in sweat as his aggressive muscular body pushes hers down until he bounced a little on her stomach as they land on the bed. Her body was glistening from head to toe as her dark hair stuck to her forehead in a way that made him harder then he already was, if that was even possible. "Troy… I want you… now…" Her voice begs as he finally opens his eyes and pants, disconnecting their lips that were glued together a moment ago. Her perfectly colored orbs had passion spilling out of them as he grasped for breath. God he wanted her. More then anything in his entire life. He wanted her._

_Her small legs wrap around his waste, as her body was completely nude. They matched as Troy leans down into her neck and plants kisses everywhere, not wanting to miss a spot and the baby smooth skin. "How badly?"_

_The girl moans in responds as Troy's lips find her spot and begin sucking harshly. "Please Troy. Give it to me. Please." She begs as his lips pull away and stare into the deep brown eyes that were desperate for him._

"_Anything for you." He whispers huskily while running his smooth hands down her sides, making her tremble violently beneath him. He places his hands on the bed to steady himself while staring into her eyes, watching the love spill out of them. "I love you Gab."_

_He slides himself inside of her, finding it was a perfect fit as she lets out a screech that makes him harder, if there was a way to do that. "Troy!"_

"Troy…"

"_God you're so sexy…" He moans as Gabriella leans her head back while Troy continues to thrust himself inside her._

"Captain!"

_Her back was arched as he could see her eyes roll to the back of her head. Her body violently shakes below him in an orgasm as he could hear her cry from below him…_

"TROY!" Something hits him on the chest hard and angrily as Troy's eyes suddenly rip open. The eyes blink for a moment, before realizing that he was staring up at his white ceiling with a dark figure looming over him. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the light and discover that he was not in a room with Gabriella panting under him, to his disappointment. He sits up and rubs his eyes to see that light was spilling into his room from the windows.

He looks to the side to see that a guy with an afro bigger then his head was standing there with a pillow in his hands, showing the weapon that was used to wake Troy up. "What the hell?" Troy exclaims while rubbing his bare chest a little, even though it didn't hurt at all.

Chad shakes his head as he drops the pillow and looks down at Troy. "Dude… I had to do something. You were out."

The piercing blue orbs glance at the alarm clock in his room. He squints a little to read the numbers that said 7:18 PM. It suddenly came back to him that he had gotten home from basketball two hours ago and then decided to take a nap. They had all stayed at Kelsi's until 10:30 last night, and then he took Gabriella home, where they spent another hour just talking about the most random things he could possibly think of. He knew he was tried, but he didn't think he was THAT tired to sleep for almost two hours.

"Sorry." Troy mumbles and closes his eyes while resting the back of his head on his headboard. Screw Chad for making him wake up during that incredible dream. He could still almost taste what her body was like. The way her perfect form wiggled in the dark, making her sweaty skin glisten. She was so hot.

"You ok? You look shittier then normal." Chad says while plopping down on the computer chair near his bed.

Suddenly, Troy's face turns bright red as he realizes that his body knew she was hot too. He had a light blanket over his body, which was good, because he hadn't even realized he had gotten too excited during that dream. His eyes close in embarrassment, knowing that Chad was never going to let him live this down. "Uh… fine." He says a little too fast as Chad narrows his eyes a little. "Let me change, I'll be out in a sec."

"Dude, Tay and Gabs are downstairs." Chad says while Troy's eyes grow wide. Gabriella was here? In his house? While he had a wet dream about her? This couldn't be happening. "What?" Chad asks while looking at how Troy's face looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Nothing." He says all to quickly while Chad raises an eyebrow.

"Dude… seriously…"

"It's nothing!" Troy says angrily while pointing towards the door. "Get out!"

"What, did you piss your pants or something?" Chad asks jokingly while Troy's face turns as white as freshly fallen snow. The dark boy goes to grab the blanket in a joking manner, but Troy angrily grabs it before he could, hiding the white stains.

"What the hell does get out mean to you?" Troy asks with panic written in his voice.

Chad looks at him curiously before his eyes grow wide and he suddenly smirks. "You had a wet dream, didn't you?"

Troy's face immediately turns a bright shade of red as he shakes his head. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, you're sweating. You're telling me to get out of your room. And dude, you were practically moaning when I came in here." He says as Troy turns an even darker shade of red if that was even possible. Chad stares at him for a second, before bursting out in laughter and leaning back in the chair.

"Dude, it's not funny." Troy says as Chad leans back even further. His face was scrunched up in a mocking way as Troy swore he saw wet marks under his eyes.

"No man, it's hilarious." He manages to get out. "You had a fucking wet dream about a girl whose sitting downstairs!"

Troy's eyes grow wide again. "Dude! I never said it was about Gab." He says in a hushed voice, cursing Chad for being louder then he wanted him to be.

"Don't try to bullshit your way out of this dude, I'm not stupid." Chad says while finally calming down and leans forward again in the chair.

"It wasn't about her." Troy completely lies as Chad shakes his head.

"Dude… stop!" He says while Troy closes his eyes. What was the point in lying now?

"If you say anything to her." Troy threatens as Chad lets out a few more chuckles before holding up his right hand.

"I swear to God, I won't say anything." He says while eying Troy up and down, making him nervous and also making him extremely uncomfortable since there was white liquid all over the inside of his basketball shorts. "So… was she good?"

Troy shakes his head again. "Dude. No. I'm not talking about this with you."

Chad rolls his eyes while he glances down at the floor. "You obviously love her man."

Troy's eyes look up from the white blanket he was staring at to meet Chad's gaze. He knew he had said it before, last week actually, but it was really starting to hit him now. He was falling in love with Gabriella, if he wasn't already. The past three days had been incredible to him, and he wanted them to last. The problem was Olivia. It wasn't that he didn't like Olivia, because he did, as a friend. But the infatuation that he had for her once before was completely gone. It was taken over by his love for Gabriella.

"I don't know what to do." Troy says while putting his head into his hands. He didn't want to hurt Olivia, but how could he do this to her?

"It's easy." Chad says in a hard, completely serious voice that was different from the one he had just used to make fun of Troy. "You gotta breakup with her man."

Troy's eyes lock on Chad's. His mouth suddenly becomes dry as he takes in that thought. His normally calm stomach does about four different back flips. "Breakup?" He says like it was a word he had never used before. The sandpaper in his mouth was rubbing up against his tongue while he couldn't feel his legs.

The word was so final. Breakup. It meant to end. And it wasn't like Troy didn't enjoy spending time with Olivia, because he did. He had an awesome time with her. But could he keep doing this? Could he still be with her while he felt this way for Gabriella? Of course not. It wasn't fair to Olivia, and she had been so good to him lately. She definitely didn't deserve that, but how could Troy just let her go that easily?

"You obviously don't like her anymore. So just get rid of her." Chad says while looking down at the floor. He reaches down and picks up an orange basketball that was just sitting there lifelessly.

"It's not that I don't like her." Troy tries to defend himself, while Chad rolls the ball around his fingertips. Who was he trying to convince anyways? Chad or himself? "I just can't get Gab out of my mind."

"So breakup with her then!" Chad exclaims while throwing his hands up in the air.

Troy hesitates for a moment. "I don't know if I can do that."

Chad sighs as he shakes his head, spinning the basketball on one finger now. "Dude, I'm done ok?"

Troy raises his eyebrows. "Done with what?"

Chad stops spinning the ball and looks straight into his drowning blue orbs with his black eyes. "You're so fucking stupid. You can't even see what's in front of you." Troy raises his eyebrows again in question. Chad just rolls his eyes. There was no anger in his voice, just frustration with his friend. "You're having the best damn week of your life. I've never seen anyone play that good like… ever in practice. And guess what? You're not BORING. Seriously, when you're with Olivia, you're boring as hell. But you're too stupid to see that it's all because of that fucking girl sitting at your kitchen table talking to my girlfriend right now."

Troy swallows the huge lump that had formed in his throat. He could tell that Chad had been thinking about this for a long time. "What's you're point?" He asks, even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

Chad lets out another sigh and places the ball in between his knees. His white shirt was showing his muscles right now as irritation was written all over him. "I'm saying do whatever the fuck you want. But if I were you, I'd dump Olivia's ass and get to the person who actually brings out Troy Bolton. Not some loser whipped dude." He says and stands up from his chair. "But if you stay with Walker…" Chad says in an almost warning voice. "Then stop fucking leading Gabriella on. She deserves better then that shit."

Troy just stares up at Chad for a moment. There was nothing he could really say right now. He knew what he wanted; he just didn't want to hurt her. But Chad was right. He had to stop stringing Gabriella along and actually give her what she deserved. The only problem is he'd have to wait a week to do it. "Sorry man." Troy mumbles.

"Whatever. You have the rest of the week to think about it. Let's just get this shit cleaned up, Tay's probably getting pissed." He says while Troy swings his legs over the side of the bed, getting up on his feet.

* * *

"What do you think they're doing up there?" The dark girl asks as she fingers the small round necklace that was resting on her neck. The deep brown orbs look up from the mahogany table to meet Taylor's gaze as she brings up her shoulders slightly in a shrug.

"Knowing Troy, he was probably asleep." Gabriella informs her, knowing that if anyone knew what Troy was doing, it would be her.

"He's a guy, that's all they do besides eat." Taylor says while the two girls laugh at the comment.

Chad and Taylor had showed up at her house about an hour and a half after basketball practice was over. Gabriella had gone over to Rachael's house to help her and Travis with the song, but the still couldn't find what was wrong with it. Afterwards, Chad had decided the four of them needed to hang out, since they hadn't done it in a long time.

"They're probably up there talking about us." Gabriella says while rolling her eyes, knowing it was true. Or they were probably talking about Troy's favorite subject, Olivia.

It was Wednesday and he had barely brought her up all week. Not that Gabriella minded, because she didn't. It just seemed strange to her. But she knew he was thinking about her. There was no way he wouldn't be thinking about her.

"What else would they talk about?" Taylor jokes as Gabriella lets out an airy giggle and shrugs her shoulders.

"Basketball." She answers while Taylor sudden looks up as if she was thinking about the answer, still letting her fingers roll around the necklace that was on her chest.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." She says while looking around the kitchen. There was something on her mind, Gabriella could tell. Her hands were still fidgeting on her necklace and she just seemed tense. What was going on?

"I hope Troy hurries up." Gabriella says after a moment of silence, glancing at the clock to see that it was 7:25. She wanted to spend as much time with him as humanly possible, since she knew that next week, this would all just go away. Things would go back to normal and she wouldn't be with him like now.

"You two have seemed pretty cozy all week." Taylor says while it was now her turn to stare down at the table. Her voice seemed a little stranger then normal. She also wouldn't make eye contact with her. What was going on?

"Yeah, I guess it's just been awhile since we've hung out like this." Gabriella says, honestly believing that, even though she didn't want to believe it. She wished that it meant something more, but it didn't. She and Troy were just best friends, and that's all they would ever be.

"He can't keep his hands off you." Taylor says while still not looking at Gabriella. She knew that Taylor was getting to something. She was acting too weird to not have a point to this. Gabriella continues to watch her slowly as she pulls down her shirt that was riding up her body.

"I guess." Gabriella says distantly, secretly ecstatic that he was acting this way.

"Yeah, I wonder if it will last." Taylor says as Gabriella finally looks up at her to see that she was working her way to her point.

"What are you saying?" She asks quickly, and a little defensively.

Taylor shrugs her shoulders. "I'm just saying that Troy's having his cake and eating it too." She says while Gabriella's eyes narrow a little.

"What do you mean?" She asks, even though she had a pretty good idea of what she was talking about.

Taylor sighs and finally meets Gabriella's gaze. "I'm just saying, he kind of has the best of both worlds. He has Olivia, his girlfriend who he can be with whenever he wants. But now he has you too, where you just fill in until she comes back. He's being an ass."

Gabriella's eyes narrow on Taylor. How dare she talk about her best friend that way? Of course, Gabriella knew it was true, but still. She didn't want to hear it from Taylor. It was almost just as insulting as if she was talking about Gabriella herself. "He can do what he wants." Gabriella defends him as Taylor lets out a breath.

"Honey, did you ever think about what's gonna happen when Olivia comes back?" Taylor asks while Gabriella looks away. Her eyes lock on the window as she could see the white, fluff clouds blowing past the house. She knew exactly what was going to happen, she just didn't want to think about it.

"Yes." Gabriella says softly while still looking out the window.

Her head shoots around when Taylor's hand rests over her own. "I'm worried. You've been through so much, and I don't want to see you hurt. I will not let you fall into the same pattern that you did last year. I will not let you get that way again, not on my watch."

It was then that Gabriella realized this had nothing to do with Olivia. It all had to do with Gabriella. Taylor was just looking out for her, trying to make sure that she didn't become depressed again and stop eating. A sudden feeling of respect fills Gabriella as she smiles softly at Taylor.

"Look, I know you're just trying to look out for me. But I'll be fine. It's not like Troy and I are doing anything wrong, it's just friendly flirting. I haven't kissed him or anything." She says while closing her eyes, suddenly craving the feeling of his lips on hers. "Thank you, but I'm not gonna stop eating again. I'm too smart for that." She says powerfully as Taylor's eyes suddenly sparkle at that phrase.

A quick second later, both girls stay quiet, as there were footsteps on the stairs. Gabriella looks to the hallway to see a God like figure entering the room. He was wearing a black basketball t-shirt and a pair of white and grey basketball shorts. His hair was flipped out a little as it looked like he had just rolled out of bed, which he did.

"Hey." Troy says while staring at Gabriella. She stands up and walks over to him, feeling his strong and now familiar arms wrap around her body. Shock waves were going from her toes to her heart at the feeling of being in his arms.

"Sleep long enough?" Gabriella asks teasingly as the two pull apart. Troy rolls his eyes as he places an arm around her shoulder. Both Taylor and Chad look at each other.

"We had to clean something up." Chad says while smirking at Troy. Gabriella's eyes lift up to see that Troy was looking at Chad threateningly.

"What? Did you murder someone up there?" Gabriella teases while bumping her hip next to his.

Troy laughs nervously while scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. "Uh… not exactly." He states while giving Gabriella a small smile, making her never want to leave his arms again. "Just don't worry about it…"


	23. Baby, Come to Me

Something was going to happen today.

She could feel it. It was almost as if the air itself was different then normal. Tension seemed to sweep over the lockers as she was standing in the hallway. It whispered through the desks during all of her classes. It tickled against her cheeks as she sat in the lunchroom, forcing herself to eat since her stomach was in complete knots. It felt like a builder had come by and placed a giant brick in her tiny stomach, weighing her down.

Gabriella stares into the mirror to see the reflection that was staring back at her. Her legs were starting to get numb as she waited patiently. The size seven smooth feet were tapping on the ground, letting her nerves run wild. Her face was slightly more flushed then normal. But her eyes. The dark chocolate brown ones were practically glowing. Passion was seeping through them, and there was no way she could stop it.

"Found it!" A high pitched voice enters the huge snow white bathroom as Gabriella's head turns around. The blonde walks into the room with a huge stick of bright red glitter in her hand while a small nervous smile plays on Gabriella's lips.

It was Friday, and East High had just gotten done with their last day of school before Christmas vacation two and a half hours ago. Yesterday and today had been completely normal, besides the tension that was built up in the school for Gabriella. She and Sharpay were getting ready to go to the basketball game together, since Taylor had to go out to dinner with her parents and was coming later. Kelsi had been sick that day, so she wasn't even coming to the game.

"Don't over do it alright?" Gabriella warns as Sharpay rolls the stick of glitter in her hands and smiles as Gabriella.

"I won't." She says while opening up the cap and grabbing Gabriella's right cheek. Her eyes reflexively close as she suddenly felts the oozing of a cold liquid onto her cheek. Sharpay draws a straight line and then does the same on the other side. "Fabulous."

Gabriella's eyes flutter open to see the "battle" marks that Sharpay had drawn. She smiles a little while looking down at her outfit. She was wearing the exact same thing that she did for homecoming, except instead of red shorts she was wearing a jean skirt, with her hair in pigtail braids. "How do I look?" Gabriella asks while Sharpay smiles at her.

"You look hot. Trust me. I'm the best." She says while flattering herself as Gabriella rolls her eyes. "Shame you're not going to the after party. The boys wouldn't take their hands off of you."

Her face suddenly blushes red. It didn't matter to her that she wasn't going to the after party, because she had different plans. Better plans in her book. Troy made her promise that after the game the two of them would hang out together. By themselves at her house. He said he wasn't in the mood to get drunk, but for some reason, Gabriella thought differently. She knew that it was probably because it would be their last night they could hang out without Olivia being back in the state. She was returning tomorrow night, and Gabriella was dreading every second of it.

She had gotten so used to the idea of being with Troy and having him all to herself. She knew all week that it was going to come down to this eventually, but it was so hard. In the past week, she had fallen harder for him then ever before, if that was even possible. She knew in her heart now that she loved him. She loved all of him and wanted to be with him, just him. But he didn't feel the same, which crushed her heart.

"I think I'll manage." Gabriella says while standing up from the bright pink fuzzy chair that Sharpay had brought into her own bathroom to try to make Gabriella more comfortable. She quickly whips out her cell phone to see that it was seven, and the game started at seven-thrity. "We should get going."

Sharpay rolls his eyes as she moves her hand down as though to blow the comment off. "Please, we don't have to worry about seats." She says, flaunting their popularity. Gabriella rolls her own eyes as Sharpay looks into the mirror to fix her hair a little more. "But I understand if you want to see your man or whatever."

Gabriella's eyebrows raise at the comment. "My man? Pretty sure he belongs to Olivia."

Sharpay glances at Gabriella, raising her own eyebrows and shakes her head. "You are so clueless. He wants you. He wants you bad. You can so tell." She says while grabbing a tube of mascara and opening her eyes wide to put some on her lashes. "I'm surprised he hasn't cheated yet."

Gabriella's stomach completely drops. Her mouth suddenly becomes dry. Cheated. That word sounded deadly. He wasn't cheating was he? As much as she wanted Troy, she would never, EVER attempt to make him cheat on Olivia. She wasn't that kind of girl. She wasn't 'another woman'. Never, ever would she ever do that to a friend. But the word sounded so final. Cheat. It was a killer word that could never be forgiven. "He hasn't cheated on her." Gabriella snaps, defending her best friend.

Sharpay doesn't change demeanor as she puts mascara on the other set of eyelashes. "I never said he did. He just… can't control his emotions when it comes to you."

Gabriella finds herself staring into her reflection in the mirror, suddenly feeling dirty. No. She hadn't done anything wrong. She and Troy had hung out alone a million times. They were best friends, and he had a girlfriend. There was no cheating involved. "Troy's not that kind of guy." She defends again, and then wonders who she was defending more, Troy or herself?

The blonde finally sets down the eye make-up and looks Gabriella in her deep brown orbs that had panic written in them with her own brown. "I know. I'm just saying." She says while looking Gabriella up and down with a small smirk on her face. "Are you ready to go?"

The blood was rushing quickly through her body as her stomach flipped. Just the thought of being in the same gym with Troy sweating buckets was making Gabriella want him even more. No, she couldn't do anything. There was nothing going on between them, nothing. Nothing was going to happen tonight. They were best friends. That's it. He had no feelings for her. "Let's go."

Sharpay picks up her silver sparkling purse as Gabriella picks up her own brown one. They were taking Sharpay's car since Troy was driving Gabriella back to her house after the game. They make their way through her giant pink room and then down the huge steps towards the front door. The snobby butler gives the girls a nasty glance, before Gabriella and Sharpay make their way out of the huge house.

They walk through the trees to get to a bright pink corvette with the initials "SE" on the hood of the car. Gabriella always laughed whenever she saw the car, because the initials were so obnoxious, but that was Sharpay for you.

After driving to the school and finding a parking spot even though it was incredibly crowded, Gabriella found herself walking into the gym with her arm linked with Sharpay's as they looked to find that the student section was full, as usual. But today, it seemed that they were even more riled up and ready for a fight. Maybe it was the fact that they didn't have school for another two weeks. Or maybe it was just the fact that the air seemed so much thicker to Gabriella. Something was different tonight.

The two girls walk past the visitors section to get boos from the crowd in green and white. Neither one of them turn their heads as they make their way to their own section, Gabriella listening to the roar of the crowd to try to intimidate the other section. She giggles a little as they walk up two rows on the bleachers to find a spot.

"Hey!" Gabriella hears a voice say as she looks down to see that both Jeff and Cody were standing in front of her. A huge smile erupts on her face as she leans down as they were turned around.

"Hey yourselves!" She says while giving them a hug each. Her eyes glance up to the scoreboard to see that there was only 5:41 seconds until the game started. She had no idea why, but her stomach was turning faster and harder then a washing machine. This wasn't a good sign.

"Come down here!" Cody exclaims while Jeff grabs Gabriella's arm and Cody grabs Sharpay. Both girls look at each other, beaming since they got to be in the first row, and then take a step down to make it there. She could feel Jeff give her a half hug as she giggles a little and looks out onto the court to see Coach Bolton was now on his side of the court, talking to the ref about something while the other team was warming up. 3:19 to go.

"So you're coming to the post game party right?" Jeff asks while glancing down at Gabriella. Her stomach summersaults just at the thought of after the game as she shakes her head slowly.

"No, sorry. Troy and I are hanging out." She says as she watches Jeff's eyebrows rise.

"Did he finally break up with Walker?" He asks, watching Gabriella carefully as she shakes her head slowly.

"No…" She says distantly and suddenly feels her stomach do another summersault as a voice booms across the gym.

"Are you guys ready to rumble?" The voice booms as Gabriella giggles while both student sections scream at the top of their lungs. The parents on the other side clap as Gabriella's eyes scan the people to see that Mrs. Bolton was sitting with Chad's parents as she was pointing down to Coach Bolton. Her eyes leave as they look back down to the court and realize they were starting to call out the other team.

"Take this!" Cody yells as he shoves a newspaper in Gabriella's hand. She looks around to see that everyone else had opened one, showing they were too bored to listen to the other team's names. Gabriella giggles and opens up the paper, hiding behind it with Sharpay.

"And now, you're Varsity Wildcats Team!" The announcer yells as everyone throws up the newspaper like confetti and watches as the lights blink on and off. Gabriella giggles, knowing that East High really out did themselves at basketball games. Each of the guys in their white warm ups run out onto the court and begin warm ups.

Gabriella almost stops breathing as she saw the flash of the number fourteen sprint out of the locker room. His tan skin seemed to be glowing with holiness as he got out onto the court. She could see the shining glint of his bright white teeth while his arms rise as if he was going to "pump up the volume". That only makes the crowd go wild to see their captain like that.

"And your junior Wildcats Captain, number 14, TROY BOLTON!" Another huge scream from the student section after the announcer calls out the rest of the guys. Gabriella looks across the way to see that half of the parents were standing up and clapping. Troy runs out into the center with the rest of the starters. She could almost see his adrenaline running through his veins. He was pumped.

Her breath becomes caught in her throat as she watches his perfect head lift up from the center. The piercing blue eyes seem to cut through the rest of the crowd and lock on her deep chocolate brown orbs. Her body seems to be paralyzed as his smooth lips curl up in a half closed smile. His right eye quickly lowers, and then rises again in a wink. The butterflies in her stomach evolve into saucers as she couldn't help but stretch her mouth wide and beam back.

"It's too bad Olivia's not here." Sharpay says while looking down at her perfectly French manicured nails. Gabriella's eyes grow wide as she looks at the blonde.

"What? How can you even say that?" She asks defensively, even though Olivia was her friend, she still wanted her to stay as far away from Troy as humanly possible.

"Don't spaz." Sharpay says while glancing down at the center of the court to see that they were just about ready for tip-off. "Besides, I didn't mean it like that."

Gabriella raises her eyebrows. She suddenly heard a whistle in the distance and looks out onto the court to see that the ref had just thrown the ball up in the air and the game had officially started. "LET'S GO DANFORTH!" Jeff yells beside her, as Chad takes control of the ball and drives it down the court.

Chad passes the ball to Zeke as Gabriella glances sideways while joining in a cheer that had just started for offence. "GO ZEKE!" Sharpay yells as Zeke shoots the ball from the side and makes it in with a "swish".

"What did you mean then?" Gabriella asks while staring at the court. The team in green passes the ball to a teammate, when it was suddenly intercepted by Troy, who takes it back down the court for a perfect three point shot. The crowd goes wild as a smile forms on Gabriella's face. "YEAH TROY!"

Sharpay rolls her eyes as she smiles at Gabriella again. "Because it would be much more fun to watch Troy pick you over her then this stupid game." She says as the other team shoots the ball, and it hits the rim with an echo and was taken by Jason. He takes it down the court and passes it to Troy, who was in the paint and makes a perfect lay-up, causing the crowd to go wild again.

"Bolton's got his game tonight!" Cody exclaims after cheering.

Gabriella's face blushes as she looks to the court to see Troy was grinning up at the stands, not really looking at anyone but for some reason, she knew that smile was saved for her. Sharpay glances at Gabriella who doesn't break her stare, but hears the blonde speak. "Yeah… he sure does."

* * *

Troy's knees were shaking. No, scratch that. Troy's entire body was shaking. He stares back in the giant mirror that was sitting on the wall of the guys' locker-room, trying to make his hair lay flat. He felt like a girl really, trying to get all dressed up for a first date. But he wasn't a girl, and he wasn't going on a first date. Well, not really. But he would definitely be lying if he said he wasn't just as nervous.

"Dude, you're like a girl." He hears the sound of a voice echo through his ear as he turns around slightly to see that Jason was patting him on the shoulder. Troy smirks a little as he looks back in the mirror to see he was wearing a pair of black basketball shorts and a red Wildcats shirt. His hair was soft from just getting out of the shower, as his body smelled like his musky cologne. Sure he wasn't dressed up or anything, but he still needed to look good.

"Great, thanks." He says sarcastically while rolling his eyes and looking back in the mirror. Man, for just playing the hell out of a basketball game, his arm muscles didn't seem big enough for his liking.

"Lay off him man." Another voice that Troy knew was Zeke's enters his ears. He looks up in the mirror to see the tall guy standing behind him as an eruption of cheers occurs from the other side of the lockers. "He just scored 32 points on a league game."

"He could wear a dress if he wanted to, and I'd still have respect for him." A senior says while patting Troy on the back as he walks past. Troy beams back, knowing that he just played the best game of his entire life. The Wildcats had won 63 to 21, and Troy knew that he was definitely part of the reason.

He had no idea why he was on fire. But it seemed that everything was going his way today. So why was he nervous? Why else, because the girl he wanted to be with so badly, but couldn't have was waiting in the gym for him right now. He knew it was completely wrong that he wanted a girl who wasn't his girlfriend, but at the moment he didn't care. He knew what he had to do with the situation, and he was going to do it when he saw Olivia again.

"You guys ready to bounce?" A voice comes from around the lockers and Troy looks back to see that Chad was coming around the corner, grinning from ear to ear.

Troy's stomach flips. This was it. There was no keeping her waiting now. So he looks back into the mirror one more time to see that his hair had finally decided to lay completely flat on his head. He then bends down to pick up his bag and looks to the other three guys. "I'll come."

"You sure you don't want to hit up the party? Dude, you just played the best damn game of your life." Jason says while patting Troy on the back. They walk out towards the door and hear a yell. Troy turns around to see the rest of the team was cheering for him. Suddenly giving him a little more confidence, he gives a wave and smiles.

"Awesome game guys!" He yells into the locker-room and then opens the door leading to the gym. Troy's eyes scan the floor and he suddenly stops dead in his tracks.

She looked unbelievably beautiful. He swore she could have been a goddess just looking at her. Her skin glowed under the yellow lighting above and the silky almost midnight black hair was shinning brightly through her pigtail braids. The jersey he stole for her was big, but she had tied it in the back so you could see the peak of curves that rested at the top of her jean skirt. Her legs, so long yet defined, made him want to fall to his knees. He could hear her sweet angelic laugh smooth through all other noise as she closed her eyes and scrunched her face. The other two girls who were standing with her were nothing compared. Gabriella Montez was unbelievable, and Troy suddenly felt unworthy.

"Hey guys." Zeke's voice cuts through all three girls' laughter as they walk across the almost empty gym to greet the girls.

Troy's heart stops beating as Gabriella's perfect head turns to look at him. Her deep chocolate orbs light up as they lock on his piercing blue. That was it. All emotion was washed over him as he just drops his red gym bag and feels the magnetic force make him jog to her. His strong, muscular arms grab her lower waist. He hears a squeal as the arms pick her up. His legs buckle a little as Gabriella's wrap around them while she giggles. He spins her around, beaming the whole time and feeling electrical shocks waving through his whole body in a way that Olivia could never do.

"You played amazing!" Gabriella exclaims as Troy finally sets her down. She wraps her arms around the back of his neck and pulls him to her. Both of them were practically shaking from the feeling of being pushed up against each other in the hug. Troy's eyes close as he leans his face into her hair, taking in her scent that just made her, well her.

"Thanks Gab." He says softly while feeling disappointed as she pulls away. Her bright white smile beams at him as shivers run down his back.

"Last chance. Just come!" Jason begs as Troy and Gabriella finally rip their eyes away from each other and look at the gang who was staring back at them.

"We'll be fine." Troy says while wrapping an arm around Gabriella's shoulders. He swears he could feel the vibration of a shiver beneath his arm, which only makes him smile more. "Tell us how it is."

"Alright, see ya man." Chad says while they do their handshake that seemed to be programmed into guys' brains.

"See ya." He says while slinging the red bag over his other shoulder, and begins to lead Gabriella out of the bright yellow gym. Subconsciously, he knew what he was getting into, but there was no way to stop it. On the surface, he was completely clueless. To him, this was innocent. But he had no idea that things were about to get messier then he could have ever imagined.

"So… celebration time?" Gabriella asks while beaming her pearly white smile and Troy smirks down at her. They walk out of the gym and into the bright white lights of the hallway. "You earned it."

"Hell yeah." He says as they make their way up the stairs and through the hallway. After getting to the entrance and walking out the front doors. The cool air of the night hits Troy's bare arms, but it didn't matter. The heat he and Gabriella were generating was so much stronger. Troy removes his arm and looks down at Gabriella, wiggling his eyebrows. "Race to you the car." He says while starting to walk down the stairs. "Ready? GO!"

His legs take off down the stairs as he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. "NO FAIR!" Gabriella yells as he gets down the first flight and then sprints to the black truck. He places his hand on the car while turning around to see Gabriella stumble as he hears a "slap" while her own hand hits the metal. "You suck." She says while Troy rolls his eyes and engulfs his arms around her in a tight hug, sending shock waves through his body.

"Shit happens. Come on, let's get out of here." He says, having no idea the night was suddenly going to take a sharp turn.


	24. Beat It

****

A/N: Sorry for such the long wait, but I had been busy. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. You guys are amazing!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alexz Johnson, nor the lyrics of the song "Here We Go Again".**

* * *

It was as though time had never passed.

It was as though the end of the summer never happened. Gabriella had never gone with Taylor. Troy had never gone to that party and met Olivia. He wouldn't have noticed the girl who came walking late into homeroom on the first day of school. It was like he never invited her into the group. It was like he had never asked her out.

But what Gabriella was too scared to realize was the fact that it had.

"My ass hurts." Troy states while sprawled across the soft carpet. His black shorts were hiked up a little bit so you could see the beginning of his tan line. His soft hair that Gabriella desperately wanted to run her fingers through at the moment was hanging off his head a little while he stared up at her. Music was playing in the background as his piercing drowning blue eyes were locked on her deep dark chocolate brown orbs, like they had been the whole night.

Gabriella, who's legs were folded up onto the white couch, rolls her eyes and leans back, feeling the cushions form to her body. "Thanks for sharing?" She says more of a question then a statement. Troy smiles a smile that would only be found on a little kid who had just said something to displease his parents.

"Well… it does." He says while smirking stupidly up at her. Gabriella rolls her eyes again but doesn't take hers off him. The heat in the room seemed to be increasing with ever second that went by.

They had gotten to her house a little under an hour ago, and were now just hanging around. But it wasn't in a boring way. Troy and Gabriella never did anything boring together. The air in the room seemed so much thicker to her then before. She knew that her stomach was in complete knots. But that didn't scare her. Troy always had that effect on her. What was scaring her was the fact that every time he touched her, the throb in between her legs stirred.

"So how many times did the guys beg you to go to the party?" Gabriella asks while Troy finally rips his eyes away from her and stares at the white ceiling. He shrugs his perfect shoulders which were pushed against the ground.

"I dunno. Like ten, twenty." He says while leaning up on his elbow to look at her. "I told them I had better plans?"

Gabriella feels her heart lift at the sound. "Better plans? So I'm better?"

Troy rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "I didn't say that."

She narrows her deep brown eyes on him and feels her face turn to a glare. "You're an ass. Just because you're the star of the basketball team." She opens up her hands on the word star. "And because you're the most popular guy in school." Troy's eyes roll at the sound of it, though he didn't deny it. "And because you could get any girl you wanted to…"

"I couldn't get any girl." He says, as Gabriella could see his eyes seemed to twinkle under the light. The blue was so vibrant that she swore she could just drown in his eyes. He gives her a small closed mouth smile as Gabriella couldn't help but get the feeling that he was watching her every move.

"Whatever." She says while he smirks at her. Everything she ever wanted was sitting on the ground and looking up at her. Why did he have to be this perfect?

"It's not like every guy doesn't want to sleep with you or anything." He says sarcastically. Was that jealousy in his voice? Gabriella's stomach lifted at the sound.

"But do I go flaunting it around?" She asks with a small smile curved on her lips.

"Do I?" He asks with the same smile. Gabriella's eyes narrow a little as she realizes that he was right. He didn't completely go flaunting around that he could have any girl. It's not like he had sex every single night. "I win." Their eyes lock on each other. Neither one of them wanted to stop staring. It was as though they could get lost forever and never, ever want to return.

Their eyes finally part when Gabriella looks down into her lap. Her heart was running a marathon as she couldn't stop this feeling she was getting. She wanted him. She wanted to be with him. She wanted him to wrap his arms tightly around her and never let her go. Everything about him she loved. The way he flipped his chestnut brown hair off his forehead. The way his teeth glinted while he beamed at her. The way each depression was formed on his muscles. She couldn't think of one single thing that she didn't love about him.

Besides the fact that he had a girlfriend.

"Whatever you say Bolton." She says while he shakes his head. She looks down again and could almost feel the steam from the two radiating off their bodies. The seemed so hot it was unbelievable. "But… to boost your ego, you played a hell of a game tonight."

Troy's smile looses its desire to be sexy and suddenly becomes adorable, but still managed to be sexy in Gabriella's books. "Thanks. Hell, I felt amazing tonight. I have no idea what it was." He says. He seemed to be ecstatic about how he played, which he should be.

"Yeah… I guess you were on your game." She says while not even realizing she was smiling slightly seductively at him. But Troy was on top of his game here to, because his head moves down a little so he was looking at Gabriella with a slightly curled lip. Their eyes connect again, making the room raise another five degrees in temperature.

A sudden ringing fills Gabriella's ears as she finally tears her eyes away from Troy. Her mind was so frazzled that she didn't even realize it was the telephone. Her head was darting from left to right, looking even under the couch cushions to find the source of the noise. It wasn't until her eyes looked down to see Troy's hand outstretched with the phone in it. The light was blinking while the object rings again. "The telephone Gab."

Gabriella's mouth forms the shape of an "O" as her face becomes hot. It turns the color of an apple as she grabs the phone from him. He chuckles while Gabriella sticks her tongue out and clicks the button. "Hello?"

"Hey sweetheart." A deep voice comes on the other line.

Troy raises an eyebrow and mouths "Who is it?" She smiles brightly as she folds up her legs onto the couch, feeling the feeling of the cool leather against her freshly shaven legs.

"Hi Daddy!" She says perkily. The usually confident blue eyes suddenly grow wide in fight. Gabriella giggles as she swears she sees him scoot backwards a little, away from the phone.

"How's it going over there?" He asks with a bit of speculation laced in his voice. She suddenly remembers her dad being hesitant about letting the two hang out with no one else there, but Gabriella reminded him how many times they had been alone and the fact that he had a girlfriend.

"Good. We're just hanging out." Gabriella says while smiling at Troy. His face still looked scared and Gabriella couldn't help but silent giggle.

"Ok…" He says slowly, almost sacredly. "Your mother wants to go out to a movie after we're finished with dinner, but I thought we should come home…"

"Oh don't worry. We're fine here." She says while smiling thinking about the disappointment in her father's voice.

"Oh… alright… I uh… I guess I'll see you when we get back." He says while Gabriella nods, though she knew he couldn't see her.

"Alright." She responds.

"Well… if you need anything or if anything goes wrong…"

"Alright, I get it. I'll see you later." She says while giggling. "Bye Dad."

She clicks the phone and then throws it on another pillow. "You don't have to hide in a corner you know, he's not like… gonna hop out of the phone or anything."

Troy looks up at her with narrowed eyes. "He'd find away. As long as he could nail me, he'd find away."

"He doesn't hate you, I've told you that." Gabriella says, trying to be convincing. He gives her a look that says "yeah right" and then looks away.

His eyes scan the living room as they suddenly land on a sheet of yellow-white paper. It was sitting in the corner near the TV that was turned off. Gabriella watches as his body crawls over to where it was as he sits down and picks it up. She smiles softly as Troy's eyes narrow in concentration. The piercing blue move quickly across the page as he narrows even more.

"'Here we go again'?" He asks while looking up from the page. His small nose crinkles in an adorable way as if he was thinking extremely hard. "I've never heard of it."

"I'd doubt you would." Gabriella says while sliding off the couch and hitting her knees to the floor. Troy's eyes look up from the page as he looks at her. They were twinkling with curiosity as though asking her to continue. "It's a song that I found when I was a freshman. I was going through Darbus' stuff to find an audition for chamber choir and I found this one." She points to the paper. "It was a pair's song, but I sang it with a junior at the time, and she loved it."

Troy's lips curve into a small smile. "I remember that." He responds. "You became her pet ever since." Gabriella's blushes a little while Troy looks down at the paper again. "So why do you have it now?"

She lets out a sigh. "Because two other people are auditioning for it, and they need help." She says while glancing down at the paper that Troy was staring at.

He looks up at her, with his eyes sparkling. "Sing it." He demands as Gabriella's eyebrows rise.

"Right now?" She asks with her voice slightly higher then normal. It wasn't that Troy hadn't heard her sing before, but this had just completely caught her off guard.

"Yeah… do it." He says while smiling at her. "Serenade me."

Gabriella rolls her eyes. But if he was going to try to play this way, she was going to play back. "But… I can't… it's a pair's song."

Troy looks down as his face drops. Gabriella had a smile plastered across her face as Troy's eyes grow wide. "No way. I'm not singing." He says while shaking his head and moving his arms as if to say no. "I don't sing."

Gabriella shakes her head as she scoots closer to him a little. "Come on Troy. It's not like I've never heard you before!" She exclaims while grabbing his forearm. He closes his eyes at the impact and Gabriella watches him take a deep breath. Her eyes immediately look down to her hand. Suddenly, the palm seemed to burn as she touched his skin. Immediately, she lets go and looks up to see Troy's eyes shoot open, with disappointment in them. Gabriella immediately moves back again, the butterflies in her stomach going at a million miles an hour while blushing. "I mean… you don't have to." She says while putting the music aside.

Troy's eyes lock on her as a small, warming smile plays on his lips. "Come here." He says while crawling next to her. Her skin starts to burn as he reaches over her body and grabs her wrist to bring the music towards them. Her own eyes close to his impact as she could feel his skin almost mold to hers as one. She could hear him chuckle a little as she swore she felt his face get close to her neck in a nuzzle. "You start." He says while she opens her eyes and he points down.

Gabriella closes her eyes. She didn't have to look at the page. It was like the adrenaline from the whole night was coursing through her body. Her mouth becomes dry, but her mouth opens and music comes out.

_Am I, heading for disaster?  
Am I, forgetting what I know?  
Or am I afraid instead of letting go?_

She expects silence, that Troy wasn't going to hold up his bargin. But her eyes shoot open when she suddenly hears a voice. It was deep, but not too deep. Actucally, to her, it was perfect. There was nothing in the world she wanted to listen to more. It was beautiful.

_Are we, dangerous together?_

_Are we pretending to be sure?_

_Are we walking into that storm, oh?_

The piercing blue eyes connect with the deep chocolate brown. Her stomach does a summersault as her body suddenly was drained of everything. She felt light, she felt dizzy. But she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Their voice then suddenly mix in a perfect way. It was like finding the perfect pair together. They just fit.

_Here we go again,_

_Back to where we've never been,_

_Take it from the end,_

_Start over, and make it better,_

_Here we go again._

Their eyes never leave each other as they stop the refrain. Gabriella's white teeth gently bite her bottom lip as Troy gives her a small smile. The silence was ringing in the room as neither one broke the stare. It was a secret of Troy's. One that he never liked to flaunt. He could sing. Hell he could sing better then have the guys in choir.

She hadn't even noticed that they were now sitting side by side. Troy's hand was still on her wrist as they couldn't look away. She was transfixed on the piercing blue of his eyes. The heat that was being formed from the two of them almost causes the TV to condense. Gabriella stops biting her bottom lip and could see from the corner of her eye that Troy's hand was lifting up. It rests on her cheek as Gabriella leans into the soft palm. The magnetic force had returned, and Gabriella couldn't help it. She felt her shoulders lean forward as her heart began to race. This was it. The butterflies were fluttering around like crazy as Troy's face tilts to the side and his eyes close. Gabriella's first reflex is to do the same. Her mind was taking in every detail as Troy's face was drawing closer to her. The way his musky cologne was lingering in her nose, the way the heat in the room was making her skin burn. The feeling of his right hand on her wrist. The hand with the naked third finger…

"Troy!" Without even thinking, Gabriella pushes Troy's chest back as her eyes rip open, discovering he was millimeters away from her lips. Troy's eyes spring open as he unexpectedly falls backwards onto his back. This wasn't happening. Gabriella's body rolls in a backwards summersault. She could feel her skin angrly scrape against the carpet, causing a burn. Her chest was heaving up and down as she maintains balance, sitting on the balls of her feet and her hands on the ground, as if to get up and sprint if he came to close. Troy's eyes were wide as he was staring at her, completely confused but still with horror written on his perfect features. "What the hell was that?"

Troy's eyes dart from left to right. "I… I don't know!" He studders while Gabriella's chest was heaving. He finally crawls up on his knees. This couldn't be happening. She promised herself nothing like this was ever going to happen. She wasn't that kind of girl!

"How can you not know damn it?" Gabriella asks with her voice rising out of fear. Olivia was her friend! And she just almost kissed her boyfriend! "I… you… we almost…" She pauses while her eyes grow wide. "You have a fucking girlfriend!"

Troy immediately closes his eyes and takes his right hand to run it through his hair. "I know… God this is so fucked up!"

A lump had grown in Gabriella's throat. Her face was hot, so hot that you could boil an egg on it. This couldn't be happening. It was the only thing that was running through her mind right now. This could not be happening. She bites her bottom lip again. Why did he try to do that? He loved Olivia didn't he! So why did he just try to kiss her! There had been so many times before that the two had almost kissed, but this, there was no denying it now. It was out in the open. "Why…?" Was the only thing that could actually come out of her mouth. She needed answers, and she needed answers now.

Troy's eyes lock on hers. The air suddenly becomes hot again as they stare at each other. "I can't stop…" He starts. His body was twisted, in almost a tortured way. There was obviously something going on here. Something that he had been thinking about for a long time. "Gab… you… I can't stop thinking about you."

Gabriella's heart literally stops. The deep chocolate brown orbs grow wide as Troy stares at her. His face had paled, since what he just said must have taken a lot out of him. Her stomach felt like someone exploded a bomb in it. What? Did he mean this? Everything seemed to be boiling down to this moment. She wanted him for so long, no, needed him. It was what she always wanted. "I don't understand." She says in a small voice that didn't seem to be coming from her dry throat.

Troy crawls forward a little bit, but Gabriella backs away as though he would bite her. "I want you Gab. You have no idea. I want you, I need you, I God… I can't stop thinking about you!" He exclaims while throwing his arms up. "You're all I think about. I just…"

Gabriella's heart still wasn't beating. A tear was burned into her eye as she looks up at him slowly. "You have a girlfriend."

Troy's eyes shut at the sound. It was as though his dreams were just shattered. Gabriella tries to swollow the lump in her throat, but finds it unsuccessful. Here he was, confessing that he shared the same feelings that she did, but none of it mattered. He had Olivia, and there was nothing that could change that. "I breaking… I don't feel the same about her as I do about you."

Gabriella's heart was having a party, but she knew that there was no way she could act on it. Her body was torn. A side of her was estatic. Finally, the guy she had been in love with for so long, but it didn't mean anything. The other half was telling her this. Because he had Olivia. None of it mattered as long as he had Olivia.

Silence had errupted as Troy was watching Gabriella carefully. She couldn't say anything. There was nothing she could say. Nothing she could think of to say. Finally, Troy's mouth opens again. "Please… just tell me you don't feel anything back. Just tell me." He begs.

Gabriella finally understood. He was tortured. For the past couple weeks he had been fighting with himself. One side of him knew he couldn't do anything because of Olivia, and the other side was pushing to be with Gabriella. And now, he wanted to make it easy. He just wanted her to say she didn't love him, because then he'd be forced to go down a road. To make a decision. But she closes her eyes and shakes her head slowly. "I'd be lying."

Troy's eyes shut in almost pain. Her had a choice to make. Gabriella knew it. It was obvious. But she couldn't take him away from Olivia. She wasn't that girl. He was happy with her, happier then Gabriella could ever make him. "How long?"

Gabriella bites her lip as she watches his eyes open. He slowly gets up off his knees and stands, making Gabriella feel small. "A year and a half."

The pain in Troy's eyes suddenly disappears. There was a sudden hint of red in them as his face becomes hard. His pierce as they narrow on her. The house almost seemed to shake in his fury. "YOU'VE LIKED ME FOR A FUCKING YEAR AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?"

The echo of his bellow enters Gabriella's ears. But she was stronger then to just sit down and take it. Purging everyday made her stronger. Her feet carry her to a standing possition as she narrows her eyes on Troy. "Oh yeah, that would have been great!" She says, matching his tone in yelling, making him back up in shock. "Oh hey Troy, you played a great game last night, by the way, I want you so badly." She says sarcastically as Troy's face was still hard.

"I would have been estatic! I've wanted you since I fucking turned thirteen!" He yells as Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"Great! I'm glad you just want to fuck me!" She says sarcastically again as Troy's eyes narrow and he takes a step forward.

"I don't just want to fuck you." He says while their eyes were locked. He wasn't yelling anymore, but his tone was just as dangerous.

Gabriella crosses her arms and looks down. "I doesn't matter anymore. Because you have Olivia."

Troy closes his eyes again and runs another hand through his hair. "I don't want her. I'm breaking up with her."

Gabriella's heart flips at the sound. He was going to break up with her! For Gabriella! It's what she always wanted. But her stomach drops at the thought. No. He was confused. This wasn't what she wanted, because Troy didn't love her. He just hadn't been with Olivia for awhile. That had to be the only explination.

"No you're not. You just miss her. You're confused." Gabriella says as Troy shakes his head. He finally walks across the room to her and takes her small, calloused hand in his large one. The soft feeling almost makes her melt, but she stands her ground.

"Gabriella, it hasn't just been this week. I don't love her." He says while staring into her eyes, trying to convince her. It didn't matter though. Her mind was made up. She couldn't be with him.

"No Troy… you have to figure out what you want." She says with her heart breaking with every word that was said. She knew what she had to do. It was the hardest thing, but she had to do it. For her sake, Troy's, and Olivia's. "We just need space right now."

Troy's eyes widen. That was probably the last thing he wanted, but she didn't care. She had to stay away from him. She had to make sure this phase of Troy's would be over with. It wasn't fair to Olivia. For everything Olivia had done, Gabriella couldn't do that to her. "Gab…"

"You should go." She says while dropping their laced hands and staring intently at him. His mouth was hung open in shock, but she could see the pain in his eyes. Shattered, broken.

"Gabriella…" He tries to get out, but she just shakes her head.

"No Troy… Just don't…" She says while taking a deep breath. Her body takes a couple steps forward, not looking back at him. Tears were streaming down her face, knowing that this was probably the hardest thing she'd ever have to do. But she had to.


	25. Papa Don't Preach

It was as though someone had just died.

The clothes were sprawled out all over the room like a tornado had whipped through and took out everything. There was a physics book, a calculus book, a novel that was left, forgotten. The room seemed darker then normal, even though the sun was peaking through the windows and left its residue on the red bed spread. But what was the most out of the ordinary was the fact that there were pictures that carpeted the floor.

Each picture seemed to tell a story. And each story was one its own. There was one sitting next to the physics book. It was of a six year-old boy. He had stringy hair that fell in front of his face because it was too long. It had him on a seesaw, with a little six year old girl sitting on the top of it because he weighed more than she did. Her hair was blowing in the wind while her smile was bigger then the sun itself. It was brighter than the sun also.

Another picture was sitting on the computer desk. This picture was taken when the people plastered on were about twelve. They were both looking out onto a lake when the boy, whose hair was no longer stringy, took the girl with long dark hair out to a lake where his grandfather owned a cabin. The girls' hair was whipping around her body as she held a green fishing rod, while the boy seemed to be pointing at something in the murky water. Both had smiles plastered on their faces.

A third picture was sitting on the red comforter. This one had the sun shining brightly down on the two's heads. Their eyes were locked on each other, while the boy wore a white dress shirt, a red tie, and the beginning half of his black pants were showing as well. His hands were holding onto the girl's, whose own hands were trying to pin a red flower to his chest. The thick, almost black hair was pulled up into a complete curled bun, as her eyes seemed to sparkle just staring at the boy. Both of them seemed to refuse to look at any other person, only each other.

The picture suddenly shakes violently as the door to the bedroom it was sitting in opens. The person walks in a lets the door slam behind him. The person's hand runs through its chestnut brown hair as the orange basketball falls to the floor with a "thud". The boy closes his piercing blue eyes and leans his back up against the wall, the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Troy's mind kept reeling back to last night. This week should have been perfect. He should have been able to be with Gabriella, just hang out with her, and then break up with Olivia when she got back. The plan was for him and Gabriella to become closer then ever before, so then it wouldn't be as weird when he told her he was crazy about her. It should have been completely perfect.

Obviously, it didn't turn out that way. Troy's eyes open as he walks towards the bed and falls down on it, letting his body bounce a little as he does. He never meant to try and kiss her. He wasn't the cheating kind, and never, ever would he want to do that to Olivia. But after the song, and just being with her. She looked gorgeous, and he couldn't stay away from her even if he had wanted to. Why did she have to be so unbelievable?

Not being able to sit in his room anymore then a few minutes, he gets up off his bed and walks out. After walking down the stairs, he enters the kitchen where his mother was sitting at the table with a pen in her hand and what looked like the checkbook in front of her. He sits down at the table while suddenly watches his mother practically jump out of her chair.

"Troy… honey you scared me." She says while looking up from the book and giving him a small smile. Troy tries to return it, but finds that smiling wasn't working out for him very well.

"Sorry Mom." He responds and watches as her head drops back down to the paper. A sudden flashback of when he was seven years old and he would beg his mother to come play with him, but she'd say when she was finished. His eyes become faint in the memory, realizing that everything used to be easier when he was a kid. No broken hearts, no almost cheating, no eating disorders. Everything was just fine.

"So… are you excited for tonight?" Lucille Bolton asks while not looking up from her book this time. Troy's eyes narrow for a moment. Tonight? He could barely think two seconds in front of him. How was he ever able to think about a couple hours?

"Um… tonight Mom?" He asks. This totally screws up his mother, since her head immediately shoots up and locks with her son's eyes.

"Wow…" She says while placing her pen down and leaning back in her chair. "Olivia's coming home, remember?"

Troy's stomach turns in disgust at the sound of his girlfriend's name. He knew it wasn't fair to blame her, but he couldn't help but be angry. More angry at himself. If he would have never asked Olivia out, then he wouldn't be in this mess. He would be happy with Gabriella. No hearts would be broken, nothing. "Oh yeah…" He says with not much enthusiasm in his voice.

Lucille's eyes wouldn't leave her son. Troy suddenly became uncomfortable. She was completely oblivious to the fact that her son drank. She had never found a condom in his room on the rare occasions he'd have sex after a date. But this… a mother knew. It had to be an intuition or something. But there was no denying that Troy's mom knew he was feeling differently towards Olivia. "Did you two get in a fight or something?"

He wished. Because if that was the case, then it would make this so much easier. She would just get mad and he wouldn't have to break her heart. But Troy shakes his head. "No Mom." He says while Lucille raises her eyebrows.

"Did something happen?" She asks.

"No Mom."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Can we not talk about it?" Troy asks while shifting uncomfortably in his chair. He didn't want to talk about it. No way. How could he tell his mother he almost cheated on Olivia with Gabriella? Nope, Troy was a vault.

"Fine… fine… I'll stop being the nosy mother." She says and then sighs dramatically. Lucille closes the green check book and places her chin on her hand while staring at Troy, as though she was seeing right through the wall he had posted up. Her nails tap lightly on the wooden table, making a soft "put" sound as each finger connects. "But don't lead people to believe you want to date them when you really don't."

Troy's mouth basically drops ten feet. "Wait…how'd you…?"

Lucille had a small, triumphant smile on her face as she stands up from the chair she was sitting in and walks over to Troy, planting a kiss in his chestnut brown hair. "You'll know what to do."

He watches as she walks out of the room. Troy groans in frustration. He knew exactly what he had to do; there was no question about that. The only problem right now was the fact that he didn't want to break any hearts. He couldn't sit in one place alone; it was killing him too much because all he could think about was tonight. What would happen in just a few hours. And when he wasn't thinking about that, he couldn't stop thinking about the almost kiss that he and Gabriella had a little over twelve hours ago.

Almost saving him, his phone that was in his basketball shorts vibrates. He pulls it out, looking to find that he had a new text. His heart speeds up a little. Maybe it was Gabriella, saying that she wanted to talk to him. But as he flips open the phone, his heart drops as it was the one person he didn't want to talk to. The one person who he wanted to avoid, but knew what was going to happen tonight was inevitable. It was Olivia.

_We're just getting on the plane now. I can't wait to see you :_

Troy almost rolls his eyes as he shuts the phone. He knew what he had to do. It was going to happen and there was no way he could back out now. His hand places the phone down on the table, letting the sound echo through out the room. He had to get this done and try to make things right. To the way things were supposed to be.

* * *

The screen on the phone lit up for the fourteenth time that day.

And for the fourteenth time, she lets it ring.

Her hand was tapping impatiently on the purple comforter of the bed. Her lets were practically shaking as the thick hair was pulled into a pony tail high up on her head. Her body was covered in grey sweatpants and a long sleeved purple shirt. The deep chocolate brown orbs were staring at the tinted yellow sheet.

It didn't look right. It didn't sound right. There was nothing about it that seemed right. Her mouth opens a little, as it does she could feel the tears that were welled up in her eyes from last night attempt to escape, but wouldn't let them. Her voice was shaky as she let out a little note, if one could even call it that.

There was nothing she could do that could take back what happened last night. She barely slept last night, since she woke up at 1:30 AM and didn't fall back asleep until about five, where she only then slept for about two hours. She hadn't eaten, for when she tried to eat a bowl of cereal this morning, it caused her to immediately run to the bathroom and threw it back up.

Not that she did it on purpose. Her mind hadn't been under this stress since the eating disorder, so now it was almost rebelling against her again. She physically couldn't eat. Not that she wanted to much anyways. Everything seemed to be falling down and crashing onto her shoulders. How could she let this happen?

Troy was her best friend. Best friends weren't supposed to let anything happen to the other. But this? This was all Gabriella's fault. She knew something was wrong last night. The air she breathed seemed wrong. But she couldn't help it. Troy was like a drug, a drug she couldn't get enough of. But just like all drug users, there's a point when one hits rock bottom. Last night was her rock bottom. She could also compare it to her eating disorder. She was fine until someone found out. Then things just started to go down hill, and before she knew it, her best friend found out. Then what happened? Easy, rock bottom.

The chocolate brown eyes had a red tint where the white should have been. How could that have happened last night? Olivia was her friend, and she never, ever wanted to hurt her. And now, Troy was more confused then ever and it was all her fault. But what scared her most was the fact that her and Troy's relationship would never, ever be what it used to be. They could never go back to being who they were before. It wasn't possible after confessing to him that she liked him for almost a year and a half.

She wouldn't let herself cry anymore. She was stronger then this. The rough, calloused hands that were caused from the acid that went through last year reach up and wipe her tears. She wasn't going to feel sorry for herself. She wasn't going to cry because what good would it do? Nothing.

The deep brown orbs look back to the yellow tinted music as she closes her eyes. She had to get this song right. Her auditions were on Wednesday and there was nothing else she wanted to think about right now. Not Troy, not Olivia, nothing. Just this song. Only this song. She had to get it perfect. She had to prove to herself that this would be perfect.

_We'll be together, come whatever_

_Not just staring at the stars,_

_Just remember, _

_That no one else can tell us who we are,_

_We'll be together, so don't ever_

_Stop listening to you're heart_

_Cuz I can't turn mine off…_

Her voice was raspy. It sounded terrible to her. How could her voice go from worthy of angels to getting booed at karaoke? Her eyes close in frustration. She wanted to hit something. But it seemed that nothing would make anything that she was feeling any better. It's what happened when you almost helped your best friend cheat on their girlfriend.

There was a sudden knock on the door that makes Gabriella jump. Her body immediately turns around to face the door as it opens. "Mom, I'm not feeling well. Please let me sleep." She says in the raspy voice that seemed to be the only that came out of her throat lately.

"It's not your mom." A voice enters her room that makes her tense up. She looks towards the door to see three people walk in. Three people she really didn't want to talk to right now. But did she have a choice? Of course not.

The dark girl in a pair of jeans and a royal blue v-neck shirt walks leads the tall blonde in a white skirt and pink tight hoodie and the small girl in glasses wearing a corduroy jacket over a red shirt and jeans. Gabriella tries her hardest to look away from the three, since she knew she was going to get the third degree right now. "I feel sick. You shouldn't be in here."

It wasn't very convincing and she knew it. There was really no point in hiding it, since all three of them had looks on their faces that were unconvinced. Gabriella sighs as she faces them. Sharpay sits down in a chair that was near her desk. "Bullshit Montez." She says while pealing a piece of hair from the straight blonde perfection and begins to twirl it around in her perfectly manicured fingers.

"We called like… ten times." Her best girl friend says while gently sitting down on her bed, as though it would break Gabriella herself.

Gabriella sighs while refusing to look at any of them. It was safer to look down at the audition music that was staring tauntingly up at her. The three of them would kill her from what almost happened last night. She was petrified that they were going to think of her as a slut since she almost hooked up with someone who had a girlfriend. So instead she shrugs her boney shoulders and continues to stare down at the paper. "Guess I didn't hear the ring."

The deep chocolate brown orbs look up to see Sharpay reaching over onto the bed near where Taylor was sitting and picks up her phone. Gabriella cringes as she raises her eyebrows and flips the phone open. She smirks almost amused as she shakes her head. "So… you didn't hear it huh?"

A blush erupts on Gabriella's face as embarrassment crashes over her. The three of them look at each other before Taylor sighs and leans forward. "What's going on?"

Gabriella shakes her head all too fast. "Nothing." She responds in an annoyed tone. They couldn't find out. She couldn't let them find out. There was no way her closest friends were going to think of her as a slut.

"Gabriella. There isn't nothing wrong." Taylor says while watching her closely.

"Did something happen last night?" Kelsi asks while Gabriella's stomach flips. Last night.

"Of course not." She responds all too quickly as the three girls look at each other again not believing her.

"Spill Gab." Taylor says while Gabriella shakes her head. Her hands were starting to shake as all of them were watching her closely. She reflexively crosses her arms over her stomach to make sure they weren't looking at her middle section. She could almost feel the imaginary fat growing on her with every second that went by.

"Nothing happened. We came back to my house… that's it." She says while Sharpay lets go of the hair she was twirling. She was defensive, she knew she was. Her fingers look down to the sheet of music and begin to fold the bottom edge to keep herself busy while they stared at her.

"What happened Gabriella?" Kelsi asks while she finally looks up. "Did he say something to you?"

"Did you say something to him?" Taylor asks, probably figuring it was more logical for her to be upset if she spilled to him.

Her eyes glance between the two as she shakes her head slowly. But then her eyes look up and meet the pair of light brown. She had a small, triumphant smirk on her face as her perfectly manicured nails tap gently on her computer desk. "You kissed him didn't you?"

Gabriella's eyes immediately grow wide at the accusation. She didn't even notice Kelsi and Taylor's eyes that immediately shoot up to stare at her. All her eyes could gaze upon where Sharpay's, who had a triumphant smirk on her face. No. This wasn't happening. Her mouth immediately becomes dry as she shakes her head and tries to play dumb. "What? Are you crazy?"

The Taylor and Kelsi look back at Sharpay, whose eyes never leave Gabriella's. "You're not denying it."

Her face becomes hot. The only thing she wanted to do was to lie. Tell them that their lips never even got close to each other. But she couldn't do that. Even though she had gotten good at lying last year, she still wouldn't be able to pull it off. The horror stricken look on her face wouldn't be able to deny it. "We never kissed." She says in a small, yet honest voice. Her eyes wouldn't look at anything else but Sharpay. "But we got close…"

Taylor and Kelsi's jaws drop. But Gabriella's eyes weren't on them. Her eyes were glued to the blonde whose smirk forms into a full out grin as she stands up and throws a fist in the air. "YES!"

Gabriella jaw drops. What? Weren't they supposed to be pissed at her because she almost cheated with her best friend? Taylor's face was still in shock along with Kelsi's, but Sharpay looks like she was about to have a party. "Um… what?"

"What happened?" Kelsi asks, probably finding her voice as Taylor still looked like she had just seen death.

She bites the bottom of her lip as she shakes her head, not sure exactly how this happened herself. "I don't know!" She exclaims while throwing her arms up in the air. "One minute we're singing, and the next his face is a millimeter away from mine!" She says in a hysterical voice and throwing her arms from one side of her body to the other as though she was comparing two things.

"You almost kissed him?" Kelsi asks, still in shock as finally it must have set in for Taylor, because she had a small smile on her face.

"I didn't mean to." Gabriella says in the smallest voice possible.

"Finally! It's about time!" Sharpay says while sitting back down in the chair. Gabriella raises her eyebrows while looking at the blonde who looked like she could throw a fiesta or something.

"What happened then?" Taylor asks, finally finding her voice.

Gabriella opens her mouth slightly, remembering the argument. "I pushed him away. He told me he liked me, I told him I liked him." All three of their eyes light up, in slight horror though as Gabriella shakes her head, remembering Troy's horror stricken face last night. "Then I kicked him out and told him to figure out what he wants."

"Why did you do that?" Sharpay asks accusingly. "You didn't do anything wrong!" She exclaims while Taylor rolls her eyes.

"This is bad." Kelsi says. All three of them look at her in shock. She was usually the quiet one. And yes, she spoke her mind once in awhile, but usually she bit her tongue. "This is really bad."

"You think?" Gabriella says in a small voice.

"Why is this bad? They've finally admitted to each other that they love each other! We've been waiting for this day since like… sixth grade!" Sharpay exclaims while tossing her long blonde mane back behind her head.

"Troy has Olivia!" Kelsi says in her usually quiet voice that was amplified right now. "She's coming home tonight!"

Gabriella's body reflexively shakes at the thought. She could feel the stomach acid begin to turn just at the thought. Taylor's eyes immediately shoot to her. "You ok?" She mouths, probably knowing this was affecting Gabriella more then the other girls knew.

She nods slowly as she looks back to Sharpay, who was looking like she was irritated with Kelsi's reaction. "Who cares? He doesn't even like her anymore anyways."

"That's not true." Gabriella immediately steps in. "He's just confused." She says what she was honestly thinking right now.

Sharpay rolls her eyes. "Shut up Gabs. All of us now he doesn't and you're just trying to make excuses." She says rudely as Gabriella lets out a sigh, knowing that was the furthest thing from the truth.

"It doesn't matter. She can't do anything anyways until after she knows what happens tonight." Taylor steps in as Gabriella looks towards Taylor curiously.

"What happens tonight?" Kelsi asks, her small voice taking over again.

Taylor shrugs as she keeps her eyes on Gabriella the whole time. "Easy. Either he breaks up with her, or he stays with her. Right now, it's out of Gabriella's control. It's up to Troy." She pauses, keeping her eyes locked on the deep brown orbs. "Only Troy."


	26. Love Walks In

The Troy Bolton everyone knew wasn't afraid of anything. At least, that's what everyone thought. He was strong. Never backed down. This was proved the day he had his third starting varsity game. He had been sick with the flu for the past week and they were playing the toughest team in the conference, yet he still went out and played to prove himself. Prove to the school that he could battle anything. He wasn't afraid to stand up to the other teams who were bigger and healthier then them. He could handle anything.

But this Troy Bolton? He was scared. No, he was petrified. He needed this to go right. Everything right now depended on how this went. His mind was practically pacing as he was sitting on the couch in the basement. His knee was shaking as he stares blankly at the TV in front of him. Why was he so afraid? If he was so confident about this decision, then why did he feel like his insides could be ripped into a million pieces? 

Oh yeah, because he hated breaking people's hearts.

"Sorry…" The normally sweet voice echoes in Troy's ears as he looks up from the couch to see that Olivia was walking over to his other side and sits down next to him. His legs were shaking still as she rests her head onto his shoulder after returning from the bathroom. It was getting close to 11:30 and Troy had to be home by midnight. He had to do it soon. Or else he was going to regret it.

But doing it the first night she got home? Probably not the best idea, but what could he do? He just wanted to get it over with. Try to make it as less painful as he possibly could. But this was so hard, too hard. She was one of the sweetest girls he had ever met. She was easy to talk to and got along with just about anyone. There was only one problem.

She wasn't Gabriella.

"I'm glad you had fun." Troy says randomly, feeling his insides were completely turned inside out. Making small talk. That's all he had to focus on right now. Just make small talk, and then lead into the big deal.

"Thanks. It was a lot of fun." She says with a lazy, distant smile on her perfectly smooth features. Her skin had gotten tanner over the past week, since she was in sunny Florida. The brunette hair had also seemed to transform into a shade lighter, almost making her tanner. Her skin glowed perfectly, even in the dark. But there was still only one problem.

She wasn't Gabriella.

"Good, I'm glad." He says. Normally, he would have given her a kiss on the forehead, but his lips didn't move, making Olivia frown a little bit. His arm was draped over the back of the couch instead of around her shoulders. She wasn't stupid. Troy could tell that she knew something was up. She just had no idea what was up.

"I missed you though." Olivia states while making an invisible circle around Troy's chest. He didn't feel the usual sparks that came when she did this. That was definitely a sign that he was making the right choice. He had to be certain, or everything would be thrown out the window.

"Really?" Troy says, not wanting to say he missed her back, because he didn't. There was no way he did. Not at all. In all actuality, he wished she had stayed down there, because now he had to do break a heart, an innocent and fragile one. She had been so great to him. Why was he a complete asshole? Why wouldn't he just try to work this out? But the answer was simple.

She wasn't Gabriella.

"Yeah… a lot actually." Olivia responds while watching Troy's facial features closely. This makes Troy shift in his seat uncomfortably.

He doesn't say anything back and just stares at the TV again. His eyes close for a moment, remembering that at this time last night, his lips almost touched Gabriella's. Her perfectly smooth, irresistible lips that he just wanted to explore. There was nothing he wanted more then to just tell Olivia it was over and race over to Gabriella's. It would work, wouldn't it? No, he was more mature then that. He had to break up with Olivia gently. She had been so good to him, and he felt guilty for breaking her heart.

The silence in the air to Troy felt heavy. The white wood in her basement seemed to be less light. The TV was the only glow in the room as he could feel Olivia try to snuggle into his chest deeper, but his body remains stiff. Her wavy hair was draped over his chest, but he just wanted it off. He wanted this whole thing to be over with. He wanted Gabriella.

Olivia sighs after about a five minutes and looks up at him. "Did you miss me?" She asks.

It wasn't a question that would normally come out of her mouth, but Troy knew that she was well aware that something was up. He scratches the back of his neck nervously while her milk chocolate brown eyes were locked on the piercing blue. "Um… yeah." He says while Olivia's eyes shut in almost pain. She knew he was lying.

"Oh…" She says in a somewhat distant voice. Her mouth suddenly opens in a fake yawn while she sits up a little and looks at him. "Well… I'm really tired from the plane ride. So, maybe you should go and I'll just call you tomorrow."

Troy closes his eyes as the TV goes off and she reaches behind her to turn on the lights. The yellow illuminates the room as he takes in her happy features one last time. The flowing hair, the golden glowing skin. Everything. He could feel guilt seeping through his veins as he takes a deep breath, and then lets out a soft exhale. It was now or never. If he didn't do it now, he wouldn't have Gabriella. He had to do it now.

"Liv… can I talk to you for a second?" He says in a voice that was slightly higher then his own. That was it. It was officially out in the open now. Her body immediately tenses up as the words slip out of his mouth. Was this too soon? He should have waited until tomorrow. His eyes close for a moment. He should have just waited until tomorrow, not the first day she came back.

"Um… sure…" She says with her eyes sparkling. Her voice sounded like there was a frog stuck inside her throat. Troy's own throat was closing as he swallows deeply. He hated doing this.

"You have to promise not to hate me." He says in somewhat of a low voice. Her light brown eyes close while the glowing face drains a little. This was going to be harder than he thought. His hands were on the couch as she faced him, with her back pushed up against the arm. "Please down hate me." He says in a threatening whisper as she opens her eyes and takes a deep breath. She knew what was coming.

"I promise." Her voice was shaking a little. She knew.

Troy suddenly couldn't find his voice. This was hard. Too hard. It wasn't that he was having doubts. He just didn't want to break her heart. Why did she have to be so sweet? So caring? Why did she have to be Olivia? Why couldn't she just be like Sharpay? Bitchy and mean. Why the hell couldn't she just be like that?

Troy fingers on his left hand wrap around his third naked right one. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Gabriella. He was going through this so he could be with Gabriella. It seemed like the only thing that was keeping him from stopping. He had to do it to be with Gabriella. The only thing he wanted right now.

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way ok?" He says slowly while the light brown orbs were sparkling up at him still. Her tan face was completely drained now. It looked almost like the color on the walls. "I just…" He takes another deep breath. There was no backing out now. "…I thought a lot while you were gone."

Her head doesn't move. "Mmmhhhmmm." Was the only thing that could come out of her mouth.

Troy suddenly finds the oxygen in the air was way too thin. He could barely breathe with each word he spoke. The piercing blue shut for a moment, taking everything in. The silence of the TV that was playing a few minutes ago. The slam of a door upstairs, probably Julia returning from where ever she went out. The eyes open again to look at the scared girl. Here he goes.

"I just… I like you… just not as much as before."

He was an asshole. A complete asshole. Her bottom lip quivers slightly as the deep brown orbs immediately shut. Her head looks down slightly, letting the cascade of brunette waves drape over to shield her face a little. Troy's back molars chew on the back of his cheek. He was a complete asshole.

"It's not that I don't like you ok?" He says as the brown locks nod a little, but her face was still hidden. "We can still talk and stuff. I just… I'm sorry."

There was a heavy moment of silence that Troy swears was going to last a lifetime. But Olivia finally nods and looks up. The light brown windows had a red tint where it should have been white. Tears were threatening to drip down her face, but Troy could tell she was trying not to cry. "Ok…" Was all she said.

"I don't not like you ok." He says the truth, trying to get her to understand. He did like her, just not enough to go out with her. Plus, he loved Gabriella. And that wouldn't be taken away.

"I get it." She says in a shaking, quivering voice.

Why was he such an asshole? His piercing blue eyes had sympathy leaking from them. His hand scratches the back of his chestnut brown head. "Like… we can still talk. And I still want to be friends."

Olivia nods slowly. He was speaking the truth. He did want to be friends, just not lovers. "Me too." Her voice shakes. The milk chocolate brown eyes look down to the object sitting on her neck. The red stone almost looked black in the lighting as it rested there. Troy watches as she pulls at the chain and the gold breaks, forming one long string of golden chain. The soft, bottom lip quivers again as she hold up the two sides, dangling the golden ring in mid-air, letting the black stone give off a dull shine. "Here."

Troy's eyes close as well, knowing how much of a jerk he was. Here, a beautiful, smart, amazing girl was, about to cry her eyes out because of him. He was a complete ass. "I'm so sorry Liv."

Troy holds out his soft hand and watches as her fingers let go of the chain. The heavy metal connects with the tan palm and Troy suddenly feels a rush of emotion as it connects. The black stone suddenly bursts with light and shines through a burgundy color. Not the normal scarlet, but a burgundy. It was a step up from the black stone. The gold seemed to radiate as it rested in his palm. He glances down at it, almost becoming blind from the sparkle, as the tan hand closes around it, and then secretly slips it around his third finger on his right hand for safe keeping.

"Can I ask you something?" Her voice asks while still shaking. Troy's vibrant eyes lift up from the ring as they connect with the light brown that now had the tears swimming in them. It was the most words she had said since he wanted to talk. His head nods slowly. He was sure she was going to ask why he was such an asshole, or why he wasn't in hell already.

"Of course." His voice seemed higher then normal.

Olivia takes a deep breath and looks down at the leather couch. "I know I shouldn't ask." Her voice shakes with every word spoken. "But… it has to do with Gabriella doesn't it?" She says while looking back up to meet his answer.

As soon as the words come out of her mouth, Troy's eyes shut immediately. She knew. She knew exactly what it was. He could lie. He could say no that she had nothing to do with it. But Olivia didn't deserve a lie. She deserved a lot more then him. The piercing blue orbs open again as he takes a deep breath. "Don't blame her ok?" That was it. The tears that were swimming in her eyes slip down her face silently. Troy immediately feels guilt wash over him as she looks down to try to hide her face, but it was unsuccessful. "Please don't cry. I don't deserve the tears ok?" He says while lifting his thumb up to wipe them, but her head turns in the other direction.

"I knew." Olivia whispers as then she looks up and the tear leaking eyes connect with Troy's. "It was always her."

Troy bites the inside of his mouth and tries to be as honest as he could. "I liked you. I did… I just… What we had was special…"

"…but I'm not Gabriella." She finishes for him. It wasn't what he was going to say, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't thinking it.

Troy closes his eyes in pain. "You hate me." He says while feeling the guilt wash over him. How could he does this to her?

"I don't hate you." She says in the quivering voice she had been using all night. "I can't hate you." The tears were falling down like acid rain, but they were still silent. The room erupts in stillness as neither one of them say anything for a moment. Olivia finally wipes her eyes and looks down again. "You should go."

Troy nods, even though she wasn't looking at him right now. He places his two fingers under her chin and gently lift it up to her eyes meet his. His heart was almost breaking with hers, but it had to be done. Slowly, she blinks, trying not to meet his eyes. "I'm so sorry." He whispers.

His soft lips lean over and connect with her cheek. He could taste the salt of the tears that were slipping down her face on his lips. After pulling apart, he looks at Olivia to see her almost as though for the last time. The pale color of her cheeks, the red that was shinning through around the iris, and the cascade of light brown hair that seemed to have lost some of its curl. Her normally pink, kissable lips seemed to have lost their color as so did her light brown eyes. The beauty in them seemed to be lost to Troy.

She doesn't say a word, but instead turns her body away from Troy's so she was facing the TV that wasn't on. That was his cue. It was done, over, completed. There was nothing left to say, nothing left to do. So his legs which were covered by his jeans lift him up so he was now in a standing position. He walks in front of her, staring the whole time, waiting for her eyes to rise. But they remain staring at the floor, not moving at all.

He makes his way up the stairs and glances in the kitchen, thankful no one was sitting there so he wouldn't have to have an awkward goodbye with her Aunt or Uncle. Troy's eyes glance over the too elegant wood one last time before slipping on his white tennis shoes. Julia would hate him and that was a fact. But it didn't matter. He felt like a complete asshole right now, and the last thing he cared about was what other people would think of him. The school could hate him and he wouldn't feel any worse then what he did right now.

After opening the door, he walks out in the brisk December night and zips up the navy blue Hollister hoodie he was wearing. His long, muscular legs carry him to the truck in a daze. He was single. Single for the first time since September. It felt unfamiliar to him. Like dribbling with a favorite basketball that you hadn't used in a year. Yet the feeling beneath your fingertips felt just perfect, and you wished you had never stopped using the ball.

His mind was spinning as he opens the door to his black truck and hops inside. After putting the keys in the ignition and turning on the heat, he stares straight ahead. A sudden rush of adrenaline courses through his body. He was done. He was free. He could go do whatever he wanted. The heart inside his chest speeds up as if he was about to run a marathon. There was only one placed he wanted to go. He wouldn't be able to sleep, but there was one place he wanted to go so desperately.

His right hand turns the ignition as he watches the burgundy stone glints in the dark a bit. His heart was racing as he pulls out of the driveway and quickly puts the car into drive. He was heading off in a direction that was so familiar to him he was pretty sure he could make his way even if he didn't have his lights on right now.

After driving for ten minutes, Troy parks about four houses down on the street and jumps out of his truck. He sprints towards the white house; his second home, and suddenly finds it mysterious. This would be the first time going there while being single in a long time. He had no idea what to expect. Still sprinting, he sees the white fence that was shut. His first reaction was to just hurdle it, but then slows down, realizing that was stupid because it was way too tall.

Troy pushes the door open and then runs past the familiar willow tree. The piercing blue eyes that seemed to be illuminating with excitement scan the second story, trying to find a light. There was none. He lets out a sigh before running towards the wooden fence that her father still hadn't taken down. He climbs quickly, then swings his legs over the side of the balcony and runs towards the doors. His eyes try to look in through the light shades, but he finds himself unsuccessful since they were completely down. His hand reaches up as he taps on the window. His body shaking with excitement.

Was this wrong to go to her house less then a half hour after he broke up with his girlfriend? Of course. Did he care much? Not really. Troy impatiently waits until he figures she didn't hear him, so he taps on the window again. This time, he hears a stirring from inside. This was it. He had waited so long to see her when he was single, and now it was finally happening. What more could he want?

Finally, the handle turns as the door opens from the other side. Troy's eyes grow wide as he stares at the gorgeous girl in front of him like he was looking at her for the first time. The long legs on her body were covered in purple, white, and black plaid pajama pants. She was only wearing a black sports bra, so Troy was taking in the bellybutton piercing that he rarely saw. Her long, curled hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she didn't have any make up on her slightly swollen eyes. People may say this was probably the worst of Gabriella's looks, since she had just woken up obviously. But to Troy, she looked so incredibly sexy he just wanted to run his hands all over her.

"Troy? What the hell are you doing here?" Gabriella asks in a harsh whisper while rubbing her eyes slightly as if to wipe away the sleep. Obviously, her parents were sleeping and Troy had to try his best to be a quiet as he could. This might be hard.

"Get your ass over here." He says while running through the doors and scooping her up. Gabriella yelps a little while he lifts her light body off the ground and spins her around. Her nails dig into his sweatshirt a little until he finally sets her down but keeps his hands on her waist.

"Are you high?" She asks while staring up at him with her deep brown orbs that had finally woken up. There were huge bags underneath them, and it finally took until now for Troy to notice that her usually glowing skin was slightly pale. There was something not right here.

"No I'm not high." He responds in a whisper. The bright white teeth were shinning through the darkness as all he wanted to do was lean down and place his lips onto her own. The dark chocolate eyes seemed to be sparkling in a way that Olivia's never did, making Troy's heart speed up faster.

"Then what the hell are you doing here?" She asks, then shivering a little as Troy's hands move up a little on her stomach.

His smile beams like a little boy on Christmas. "I did it." He says while her eyebrows scrunch a little in confusion in an adorable way that only she could do. Her mouth was just about to open before Troy's opens before. "I broke up with her."

For a moment, Gabriella's deep dark chocolate brown orbs light up in a dazzling way. The slightly paler skin turns back to the glowing tan and a small smile plays on her smooth lips. It was as though everything else was pushed aside as happiness fills the room. Troy knew this was what she was waiting for. She had been waiting for this since she got back from San Francisco with Taylor. Finally, the chance to be who they were supposed to be. "Oh my God…"

His heart was racing at the speed of light. He couldn't take it anymore. His body was so exciting that he didn't even notice Gabriella's eyes dull a little as the smile slides off her face. The magnetic force draws him to her, and he leans forward, expecting to hit her soft lips, But instead, at the last moment, Gabriella turns her head away and Troy catches the side of her neck. Confused, Troy stays there for a moment, but then closes his eyes and places his lips back onto her neck. Her hands were on his chest as he swears he hears a moan erupt from her throat, suddenly causing him to kiss her neck again.

"Troy…" She says with her breath hitched as Troy places another kiss onto her neck. He continues to do this while then finally hearing a loud moan as her breath gets caught in her throat while kissing the spot where her neck and shoulder connected towards the back. Her skin tasted so sweet, so much better then what Olivia's ever tasted like. He gently lets his tongue escape from his mouth and begins to suck lightly while wrapping his arms completely around her waist to pull her to him. "…we can't do this…" She whispers, but her arms wrap around his neck.

"Yes we can…" He whispers back, letting her neck vibrate then placing his lips back onto the spot. The bulge in Troy's jeans was starting to grow as he pushed his groin up against Gabriella, letting her grasp at the sensation. His hands were just about to reach down and pick up her legs, when Troy suddenly hears Gabriella gasp not in pleasure. She pushes his chest away from her, causing his teeth to knock against her smooth skin. Her eyes were wild as she grabs his hand. "What the…"

"Shh!" She whispers while dragging him towards the bed. She pushes him to the floor and Troy's knee hits and shoots pain up his leg. He had no time to say anything in pain as she pushes him under the bed. Darkness spreads around him as he feels a shift in weight above him, assuming Gabriella jumped on. His eyes look towards the door as he suddenly watches the white wood open. Troy's stomach flips. Oh no.

His breathing seemed too loud as he watches Mr. Montez's head pop into the room. He swore he felt Gabriella's bed shaking nervously as he was looking around. They must have been making too much noise, so he heard. His heart was racing faster then anytime that night as he swears he sees her father's deep brown chocolate glowing eyes connect with under the bed. The piercing blue close as he prays that it was too dark. Prays that Mr. Montez didn't have x-ray vision.

His prayer seemed to have been answered, for Troy hears the door close again. His eyes open in the darkness as he lets out a sigh in relief. He listens for the footsteps in the hallway, then a door close in the distance. That was his cue. He crawls out from under the bed and kneels up, to see Gabriella's eyes were closed and her body was slightly shaking.

His knees crawl up onto the bed as her body stops vibrating. The heat in the room increases as he places his hand onto her arm, letting the burgundy stone glow a little more ruby as it touches her smooth skin. Her eyes still remain closed as his head leans down and he places a soft kiss onto her bare shoulder.

"You shouldn't be here." Gabriella whispers in a shaking voice. Her body finally turns around so the deep brown was staring up and meeting the ocean blue. His heart flips a little at the sound. What?

"Gab…" He starts to say, but Gabriella's head moves from side to side.

"I'm not going to be your rebound." She says in a smooth voice, though her eyes were sparkling with liquid.

What? He just ran over here, broke up with his girlfriend, and she said she didn't want to be his rebound? WHAT? Didn't she tell him he was going to have to make a choice? Well, he chose didn't he? He chose her! What was going on? "Gab… you're not my fucking rebound. I broke up with her because of you…"

"Exactly." She says in a whisper. His hand was resting near her ear, propping him up while she was staring at him from a horizontal angle. "I'm not saying never. Because this is what I've always wanted." She says while lifting her rough hand and placing it on his arm, sending sparks through Troy's body. "But I want this to work Troy…" Her voice was somewhat shaking. He knew this was hard for her, but his heart was breaking with every word she said. "…and I don't want to be a rebound."

Troy's mouth hung open stupidly. He knew there was no changing her mind tonight. She was set on what she wanted. She couldn't be swayed. Well, at least not tonight. "Fine." He says in a high voice. His mouth leans down again and kisses her bare shoulder. Troy comes back up to see that there was a small red mark starting to form on her neck. A smirk curls on his lips, knowing that he had marked her for the first time. And it wouldn't be the only time. "But this isn't over Gab. You know it's not. We've waited too long for this."

It was her turn for her mouth to open stupidly. He rolls off the bed and walks toward the glass doors. He places his hand on the handle, before turning around to see her staring at him. He wasn't going to let her go this time. No way. It was time for him to get in control again. She wouldn't be a rebound. Never. He loved her too much for that.

And it was his job to convince her after tonight.


	27. Take My Breath Away

There it was. Staring so innocently back at her. The light scarlet red in the center, with the deep, purple red on the outside. It looked so innocent. It was about the side of a quarter with unsymmetrical sides. It looked at her like there was nothing wrong with it. It was saying 'Don't you want more Gabriella? You've waited so long for this, you want more.' And she did. She wanted more, so much more. She wanted ones that stretched across her body. On her stomach, shoulders, chest, and most of all, that spot in between her legs. She was craving it. For eighteen hours she had been craving it. It was all she thought about all day.

The feeling of his lips pushed up against her skin. The tickle of his tongue and the suction of his mouth against her neck. The feeling of his groin rubbing up against hers. The way his soft lips touched her shoulder with care. The way he laid above her on her bed with passion written in the drowning ocean blue eyes. Everything. The night was replaying over and over in her head like it was in a DVD. One that she wanted to watch over and over again.

Gabriella continues to stare into the mirror at the hickey. Most thought they were ugly and disgusting. But this? To Gabriella, it was beautiful. Much more beautiful then the one Troy gave Olivia weeks ago. It was almost perfectly shaped. was a cave in the center with a small, rounded point at the end. For some reason, Gabriella loved the way it just blended into her neck, yet you could still see it. And it was so mysterious. If anyone asked, it could be a burn from her curling iron. But the secret was written in the bruise.

A sigh escapes from her throat as she picks up the red long sweater that was sitting on the counter and slips it over her long grey lace cami. Her hair was completely down with her bangs pulled back, her curls cavalcading down her back. The color had returned in her face, especially because she had eaten breakfast this morning, finally able to get something down. Other then that, she hadn't been hungry for the rest of the day and wasn't sure if anything else would stay down right now.

She grabs the black tight zip up sweatshirt that was sitting on her counter and then walks out of her bathroom. Just as she was doing this, the cell phone in her pocket makes a buzzing sound. Her small calloused hand reaches inside and pulls out the phone that was vibrating. She flips it open and smiles a little, expecting the call. "Hello?"

"I'm here." The voice says on the other line while she nods even though the person on the other line couldn't see her.

"Alright. See you in a sec." She responds and then closes the phone, then proceeds to walk down the stairs to the first level. Her eyes glance up to see her father sitting on the couch that just two nights ago, she and Troy were on when everything seemed to happen. Her mother was in the kitchen while her dad was watching the news.

"I'm leaving then." Gabriella states while her mother glances behind her shoulder from the sink where she was doing dishes. Her father rips his eyes away from the TV screen and looks at his daughter strangely. Gabriella couldn't look into his eyes after almost getting caught with Troy last night. She wasn't expecting him to say anything, since he didn't come in the room and bust him, but she still couldn't look at him just in case. Just in case he knew deep down.

"Alright sweetie. Have fun. And be home by eleven thirty." Her mother responds, and then continues with the dishes. Her eyes move and finally connect to the deep brown that she inherited, feeling her heart skip a beat a little.

"Behave." He says, almost as though looking through her. Gabriella swallows the lump in her throat as she picks up the black gloves that were sitting on the counter along with her purse.

"Bye!" She yells after running into the hallway. She opens the door and looks out to the street to see the car waiting for her. Her long thin legs carry her to the car where she opens the door and sits down, immediately hearing the slam from the side after she shuts it.

"Let's see it." The driver of the car says. Gabriella's face immediately grows rosy red on her cheeks a little while she turns to the dark girl who had her hands on the wheel. Taylor was also wearing a blue sweater, with jeans and Gabriella could see that a white sweatshirt was sitting in the back seat. Taylor taps her fingers on the wheel impatiently while Gabriella looks to see there were gloves and a hat on the floor near her feet. "Come on, you have to show me."

Gabriella shakes her head as Taylor puts in the car into drive and pulls out from the curb. "I don't have to do anything." She says with a sheepish look on her face.

She had barely slept last night. At most an hour. The girls had left at around ten thirty last night, and she had basically given up on the song. At that time, she didn't believe he would do it. She believed that he would see her and fall in love with Olivia all over again. Then after being asleep for a half hour, she then heard the knock on her door. After kicking him out then, she had basically stayed up for the rest of the night, replaying what he had said. _But this isn't over Gab. You know it's not. We've waited too long for this_.

Gabriella had waited so long for this. Most girls would have just fallen to Troy's feet, but Gabriella wasn't like most girls. The eating disorder taught her to be strong, and not give into temptation. She couldn't do it. She refused to be his rebound. He hadn't even been broken up with Olivia for an hour and he came rushing to Gabriella. That wasn't right. She wasn't going to be a quick fuck and then move on. She wanted to mean something to him. Just like he meant the world to her. And if he really cared about her like he said he did, he would wait.

Plus, there was no way she could do that to Olivia. The girls had become friends through the whole ordeal. Even though half the time Gabriella wanted to rip her eyes out, she still owed it to Olivia not to go after Troy. Though, Troy basically belonged to Gabriella before Olivia came, she still refused to do that to the girl. She was too nice, too caring, and too sweet. She didn't deserve it.

"It's not a big deal." Gabriella says while Taylor puts on the blinker and pulls out of Gabriella's neighborhood.

The dark girl practically slams on the breaks at the sound, but stops herself. "Not a big deal? NOT A BIG DEAL? Gabs, do you know how long we've waited for this moment?" She asks while glancing in the passenger seat, making Gabriella shrink a little in shock from the outburst. "So long. Troy finally got through that thick skull of his that you're the one for him. It's a huge deal!" She exclaims while throwing her arms up in the air, swerving a little on the road in the process.

"Tay! Road!" Gabriella yells while going to grab the steering wheel, but Taylor grabs it instead.

She was the only one who knew about the night last night. She called her first thing in the morning, waking her up to let her know what had just occurred. Taylor was happy, though also a little concerned about Olivia's welfare. Which made Gabriella a little frustrated, since they were supposed to be focused on her.

"Sorry." She responds while glancing at Gabriella again. "He told Chad."

Gabriella lets out a small sigh as she looks out the window. The crisp December wind was bending the trees a little, but it wasn't cold enough for snow, not that it ever snowed in Albuquerque. The sky was slightly overcast, even though everything was practically covered in blackness, from the time of year. "I figured he would. What about the rest of the guys?"

Taylor shrugs as she turns on the turn signal again. "He didn't say. I don't think so…" She responds while then glancing at Gabriella again. "She called me."

Gabriella's heart practically stops. Her head immediately whips around to look at her best girl friend while this was being said. Oh no. "What'd she say? Was she upset? What happened?" She asks way to fast as Taylor laughs a little.

"Relax sister." She responds in a calming tone. "She was upset, and I'm pretty sure she was crying, but she said she saw it coming before she left."

Gabriella closes her eyes. She felt like a bitch. A total a complete bitch. She basically stole Troy away from Olivia. Didn't she? "Did she um… say anything about me?" Her voice was small as she grabs the pink rubber band that was sitting on her wrist and slowly brings it upward, then back down to connect with her arm.

Taylor's head shakes as her side ponytail falls off her shoulder a little. "Nope. Didn't say much. I invited her today, but she said it'd be too awkward." Taylor pulls into the parking lot and Gabriella stares at the white building. After finding a parking spot, the dark girl turns to Gabriella. "Are you going to be ok?"

She takes a deep breath. Her mind was wrapped around that question all day. "It's just ice skating right? Even though I haven't done it in forever and will probably break my arm." She says while looking into Taylor's almost black eyes. She hadn't done it since she was so much younger, and couldn't deny that she was extremely nervous, but for other reasons also. "I um… I think I need to stay away from him though. You know… just until this all blows over. I um…" She says while lifting up the pink rubber band and snapping it again. "I can't be tempted. I won't do that to Olivia, or myself. I can't get hurt again. I won't."

Taylor nods and gives her a knowing smile. She couldn't slip down into a bad path again. She couldn't go back to not eating. It wasn't going to happen, and if that meant distancing herself from Troy for the time being, she would do that. But Taylor's lips curl into a different smile as she lifts up her eyebrows. "So… let's see it."

Gabriella rolls her eyes. What could it hurt? So her small calloused hands lift up and move the hair that was draped over her body away. Taylor's eyes grow wide and then a smile bursts onto her face as they seem to connect with the spot. "Don't look at me like that!" Gabriella exclaims while feeling self-conscious and moving her hair back to the spot it was at before.

"Sorry." Taylor mumbles, but still has a smile on her face while she opens the car door. "You ready?" She asks while Gabriella closes the deep brown orbs and nods slowly.

"As long as I stay away from him. I'll be ready for anything." She responds while then climbing out of the car as well, and begins walking up the road towards the ice rink.

Her stomach was in complete knots though. She wanted to see him, no needed to see him. It didn't matter whether she would talk to him or not, it was just the fact of being able to see him. Those perfectly defined shoulders, the chestnut brown hair she had to run her fingers through, but most of all the eyes. The piercing drowning ocean blue that she couldn't get enough of. She loved every inch of them.

They walk up the sidewalk and into the rink where four other people were sitting down on the benches. Gabriella's heart flips as she sees Kelsi waving them over, along with Jason at her side and a huge afro turning around. There was also a bob of chestnut brown hair that made Gabriella's stomach do a cartwheel. His back was facing her and he doesn't turn around. Oh no. Was he mad about what happened last night? Not that she was going to go out of her way to talk to him today. But the last thing she wanted was him mad at her.

"Hey you." Chad's voice echoes in Gabriella's ears after the two girls walk over to them, Gabriella not able to feel her legs. He stands up and walks over to give Taylor a kiss on the lips, making Gabriella desperately want to run over to the boy whose head was down right now. "'Bout time you got here." He states jokingly as Taylor rolls her eyes.

"Sharpay and Zeke aren't even here yet. Calm down." She demands as Gabriella was barely listening. Why wouldn't he look up at her?

"They're taking so long." Jason complains while playing with the strings on Kelsi's hat. Just a look. Just to make sure that he didn't hate her. Just a look, come on Troy!

"You know Sharpay. She probably had to go buy pink ice skates or something." Kelsi exclaims while Chad and Taylor laugh, knowing it was true. Just look up. His head was down in his grey Wildcats basketball sweat shirt and jeans. His left fingers were playing with something in his right hand. Gabriella was trying to look in, but then her stomach suddenly flips when she noticing the burgundy glint. His class ring.

Was he regretting his decision about breaking up with her? Is that why he wasn't looking at Gabriella right now? Her heart was racing. What was it? He probably missed Olivia, and thought it was stupid for him to come to her house last night. Which it was, and Gabriella didn't want anything to happen right now, but this was scaring her. What if he thought he made a mistake and never wanted to talk to her again?

"So… how are you?" Kelsi asks slowly, aiming her body at Troy. She had told Sharpay and Kelsi earlier today on the phone about them breaking up, but she didn't expect anyone to say anything. Everyone's eyes lock on Troy's body, whose shoulders raise up and down slowly in a shrug. Was he depressed about it? Or did he just not want to talk about it to make it seem like he was an ass for breaking up with her?

But the door opens again as Gabriella rips her eyes away from Troy's figure and towards the door. Sharpay walks in with Zeke right behind her, in a bright pink jacket and her blonde hair flowing slightly. She was holding, of course, a pair of sparkling ice skates.

"Sorry we're late." Zeke mumbles while Sharpay tosses her hair off to the side.

"I didn't like what I was wearing!" Sharpay announces with a shrug of her shoulders like it was no big deal.

"She had to change four times." Zeke explains to Chad as they do the guy handshake that everyone seemed to know.

"Man Shar, we should just carry a closet in the trunk of your car." A voice finally says and Gabriella's body completely tenses up. Her eyes immediately shoot to the figure who was still sitting on the wooden bench. His head lifts up, as if in slow motion. Immediately, the drowning ocean blue eyes connect with the deep chocolate brown. Gabriella's heart literally stops beating as his perfectly smooth lips that were connected to her skin last right form into a small, cocky smirk. The heat in the room increases as Gabriella was pretty sure that the ice in the room next door was going to melt. The right orb that was staring at her quickly falls down in a wink. Gabriella's stomach flips.

The six other friends were staring at the two, though Gabriella wasn't paying attention. Chad and Taylor both had knowing looks on their faces while the other four looked confused, since they had no idea what had occurred last night. Their eyes almost refused to leave each other's and all Gabriella wanted to do was run over to him and wrap her arms around him, saying how much she missed him today and how badly she wanted him to come back tonight so they could finish what he started.

But, that wasn't what was going to happen. She had to be strong and not give into these heart melting eyes. The eyes that wanted to make her drop to her knees and ask him to have sex with him right in the middle of the ice rink. Her hand was almost shaking as finally, the silence in the air was broken with, "Come on, I want to go!" Sharpay whines like a four year-old.

Troy slowly stands up from where he was sitting, still smirking at Gabriella. Her knees suddenly become weak, and fear courses through her veins. No. She couldn't do this. She had to stay as far away from him as possible. It would be the best for the both of them, at least until all of this simmered down. He was two feet in front of her, just about to wrap his strong arms around her body, when Gabriella's feet cause her to duck out of the way and towards the counter where you could rent skates.

She looks back to see Troy looking dumbstruck for a moment, but then he quickly recovers. "Come on Zeke!" A distant shrill says while Sharpay leads Zeke, Kelsi, Jason and Taylor into the rink. But Gabriella doesn't notice Chad stay behind, since the other five got their skates already.

Her eyes move away from the piercing blue that was now standing in his spot with his arms crossed, but an amused smirk on his face. It was now like a game, she would try to stay away from him and he would probably try to get to her. She looks towards the teenage boy with a skater haircut similar to Jason's, only longer and blonde. He had an eyebrow pierced and was wearing a shirt that looked like a hockey jersey. "What size?" The guy asks while looking Gabriella up and down, checking her out. Her reflexive reaction is to wrap her arms around her stomach, and then she looks behind the guy at the white rental stakes along with the black hockey skates as well.

"She's a seven." A voice says behind her while Gabriella's stomach flips. She doesn't even turn around, but feels Troy's presence standing right behind her. Her eyes close while feeling his body heat radiating into her own. "And I'm a nine and a half."

Gabriella's body tenses while she could feel Troy's eyes burning into the back of her neck. This trying to take control thing he was showing off was giving him a sexy image. One that Gabriella loved. Her eyes watch the hockey guy grab a pair of white ice skates, and then he looks back at Troy. "Hockey or skating?"

"Hockey." Troy responds and Gabriella watches as the guy grabs a pair of black skates. He places them both down next to each other and then looks Gabriella up and down one more time.

"Three bucks each." The guy states and Gabriella goes to grab her purse, but then sees a five and a single fly in front of her.

"It's on me." Troy whispers huskily in her ear, while Gabriella could feel his groin being slightly pushed up against her butt. "And next time… it's a lot easier if you just say hi." He says while then she suddenly sees his arm reach around her shoulder in almost a hug to grab his skates.

"Troy! Come on!" Gabriella's head immediately whips around to see that Chad was standing in the doorway. A sigh of relief erupts from her mouth as she grabs her skates and looks back to see Troy glaring at Chad angrily. She takes that moment to slip out of his grasp and race towards the door to the rink, even though his arms were the only place she really wanted to be right now. But she couldn't think that way, she wouldn't. Not until this blew over. "Your welcome." Chad mutters while Gabriella smiles in thanks. Taylor obviously told Chad how Gabriella was feeling about the whole ordeal and her method of staying as far away from him as possible.

The brisk air tickles her skin even though she had her sweater on. She pulls the black tight zip up sweatshirt on and sits down on the floor to put her skates on. "What's that about?" A voice that belongs to Zeke asks while Gabriella looks up to see that the five of them were standing above her, with confused looks on their faces while looking at the door, except Taylor. Gabriella meets their gaze as she looks through the glass door to see that Chad was pointing into the door, looking angry about something. Troy, on the other hand, looked annoyed but his eyes weren't turning dark, like Gabriella knew they did when he was angry. She could see the piercing blue eyes roll as they look back out to see that everyone was staring at him. So he hits Chad's arm who meets his gaze and then sighs. The two of them walk through the glass door and both put on fake smiles that Gabriella knew wasn't what they were truly thinking at all. They were probably arguing about Troy's behavior towards Gabriella a few minutes before.

The two sit down and both take off their sneakers in silence. The tension was in the air, so Gabriella finishes lacing up her own and wobbles a little while standing up. "So… Shar, how's your house coming for Tuesday?" Kelsi asks, probably trying to break the awkward silence.

Tuesday, what was Tuesday? But then it hit Gabriella. Tuesday was the Christmas party. This Christmas party Sharpay had been talking about for the past week. Her mind had been so wrapped up with Troy that she completely forgot. The blonde shrugs her shoulders in responds and flips her hair a little. "Daddy's taking care of the details. And he and mother and going to leave so they don't have to 'be interrupting our festivities' as mother would say." Sharpay explains while she puts quotes around the words with her hands. "So that means the servants are keeping watch." She says with a small smile on her face.

Kelsi looks confused while Zeke and Chad both had huge grins on their faces. Gabriella immediately looks to Troy, who's eyes connect with hers in a reflexive best friend way, He didn't have the hungry eyes that she would expect him to have like the other two did. Kelsi was looking just as confused while Taylor was smiling softly. But Gabriella didn't notice. Her and Troy's eyes were still connected, even though she didn't want to be involved with him tonight, she still could look at him right? "Um… what does that mean?" Jason asks in a naive voice.

"It means…" Troy finally speaks for the first time after actually entering the rink. His eyes were still on Gabriella while he slowly walks towards the ice, then leans down towards Jason and keeps his voice low. "The booze is a go."

Gabriella watches as he steps onto the ice and raises his eyebrows at her. She had no idea what he was up to, but for some reason he didn't have to hungry look about alcohol that he usually did in his eyes. Instead, he seemed to be hungry about something else. Craving something different. And a blush flows onto Gabriella's cheeks when she realizes, it was her.

The other six step out onto the ice while Gabriella's eyes were still locked on Troy's. Her mind was spinning at an immense rate. It was obvious to Gabriella what was going on. He wasn't going to give her up without a fight. At the moment, he was trying to convince her that they needed to be together. But that was wrong. She wasn't going to be a rebound, and then when someone else came along he'd dump her like yesterday's garbage. She wasn't going to cave that easily.

"Gabs, come on!" Kelsi's voice echoes in her ears as Gabriella shakes her head and brings herself out of the trance she was in. The connection she and Troy had with their eyes was lost as she looks to see the rest of the gang was waiting for her. So she timidly steps out onto the ice, gripping onto the wall slowly. Chad seemed to be glued to the wall, along with Jason. She hadn't done this since she was twelve years old, and had to shake off the rust before she could actually get somewhere.

"Hurry up!" Sharpay yells as she skates perfectly down the side of the rink, probably with her poise. Zeke was following behind, surprisingly good at this. Kelsi was a little rocky, while Taylor was waiting for Gabriella.

Gabriella slides a little on the ice, but then slips and grabs the glass and white wall instead. Taylor gives her a knowing smile, knowing that she just had to get used to this again. There was almost a screech sound of metal sliding on ice as she feels her heart flip. The brown-haired, blue eyed boy that was on her mind all day was standing in front of her, with a knowing look in his eyes that was almost scaring Gabriella.

"You gotta let go Gab. Your fear. Just let go of the wall." He says while skating backwards a little.

"I can't do this Troy." She says, not referring to the ice skating. "I said I couldn't. You have to accept that." She states while trying to convince him to stop trying to temp her.

Troy's eyes were connected onto hers again, showing her that he wasn't talking about ice skating at all. "Trust me Gab. Just let go of the wall." He says but then finally turns around, starting to skate in the other direction, showing her he'd leave her alone… for tonight. "Dude, you suck!" She hears his voice yell while he skated with excellence towards Chad and Jason.

Gabriella takes a deep breath while slowly pushing off the glass wall with her glove. The feeling of secretary drops immediately, as she feels exposed. Her eyes close a little as she pushes off with her left leg, letting her muscles remember what it felt like to ice skate. A smile grows on her face as she then pushes with her right, and opens her eyes again, getting the groove back in. It didn't take long for her memory to kick in, for she then skates with balance over to where Taylor was waiting for her. "See? You already look like a pro. I said you could do it."

Gabriella's eyes look up to see Troy was looking back at her with a triumphant smirk on his face. "Yeah… I guess I can."


	28. Need You Tonight

She was really starting to hate this nervous feeling.

The feeling that something was going to happen. The tension in the air that this wasn't right. That nothing that night would go the way she wanted to. She felt it last Friday, when they both confessed to feeling the same for each other. Sure, it led to a good thing in him breaking up with Olivia, but now Gabriella was in a bad position. And this sick, turning feeling in her stomach was making her nervous. It was just a party right? Nothing more to it. Just a party. She had been to a million before. This was nothing different.

The house was completely black except for the multicolored Christmas lights. As one looked around, they could see the decorations of reindeer and sleighs glowing everywhere. Each servant was wearing a costume that made them look like elves, though she was sure that Sharpay paid each one of them to do it, since none of them looked happy. Just like she paid them not to mention to their parents about the alcohol. It seemed in this household, money talked.

Gabriella's body was leaned up against the granite counter top while she watches the center of the basement. Everyone was either talking, or dancing to the heavy beats that were vibrating against her back on the counter. So much for Christmas music. The basement was overheated, for something like a hundred people were there. But the other ninety-nine didn't matter. There was only one that Gabriella was concerned with, and he was on the complete other side of the room, talking with the football guys but kept sneaking glances at her.

He didn't talk to her for the rest of the night on Sunday, which Gabriella was somewhat thankful for. And yesterday he had tried texting her, but she never responded. Her plan was somewhat working, for the moment at least. But she couldn't help get the scared feeling that something was going to happen. Especially when Troy Bolton was mixed with alcohol, then things could get a little shaken up.

"So where's Shar anyways? I've seen her once." Gabriella asks while smoothing out her long-sleeved grey sweater that fit tight against her body. She was also wearing black corduroys and silver ballet flats with her hair pulled into a low side ponytail.

Taylor's shoulders shrug. They were standing off to the side with Kelsi, and two other girls who were seniors and were friends with Julia. This made Gabriella a little uneasy. Olivia was here. She had briefly seen her when she first walked in, but neither girl made eye contact. She felt guilt seep through her veins, but what could she do? Olivia stole Troy first, and Gabriella was doing her best not to be with him while this was going on.

"Who knows? Probably fucking Zeke or puking her brains out." Taylor says while taking a sip from her red cup. Kelsi rolls her eyes, knowing it was probably true, that was the depressing part.

"This party is huge." One of the seniors says while looking at everyone in the center of the room. "Cute sweater by the way." She states while looking at Gabriella.

"Thanks." Gabriella mumbles. "And Sharpay doesn't do anything small." She makes the comment about one of her best friends.

"Yeah… Jules said she was gonna have a party, but knew she couldn't outdo Sharpay, so she just dropped it." The other girl replies while taking a sip of her own alcoholic drink.

Gabriella shifts uncomfortably at the sound of Julia's name. Her head glances to the side to feel the shining ocean blue eyes on her. He looked hot tonight, there was no denying that. He was wearing a red long sleeved shirt that read "Hollister" across the front, with a white undershirt and dark jeans. His hair was flipped out slightly, in a way that framed his face perfectly. He looked so hot, and Gabriella couldn't help but want to keep looking at him.

"So I'm surprised that you're not with Troy." The first girl with red hair says while Gabriella's head shoots around. Taylor and Kelsi's do also, since Gabriella finally told both Kelsi and Sharpay what occurred on Saturday night. Sharpay was ecstatic, while Kelsi didn't say much. What did that mean? Did people know? Did it get leaked out that there was something going on between the two? This made Gabriella extremely uneasy.

"What do you mean?" Gabriella asks while taking a drink of water from her red cup, deciding not to get wasted tonight so Troy couldn't catch her while she was off guard. Her hand was slightly shaking a little, probably half because all she had was breakfast and an apple to eat today for nothing was staying down still.

The redhead shrugs. "I don't know. I just thought the second he and Liv broke up; he'd be all over you." She states with a hint of jealousy in her eyes. Gabriella's eyes look towards the other side of the room to see Troy's eyes were on her. The heat in the room increases even more as she could feel her stomach do a back flip. He smirks at her, while then her eyes rip away and look back to the girl.

"I haven't really seen Troy that much lately." She says, half lying, but half being honest. If it was a normal Christmas break, they would have hung out basically everyday. But now, she couldn't do that. Everything was different, and right now, Gabriella thought it was for the worse, in reality, it was for the best.

"What'd they break up for anyways? She won't tell like anyone." The other girl, who was a blonde, asks. Gabriella's heart sinks. What? She wouldn't tell anyone why they broke up? Was that bad? Did that mean she knew _something_?

"Um… I don't know, he said he wasn't feeling the same." Gabriella says slowly while looking at Taylor. Her face was hot, and she was trying to come up with a different topic to talk about, but nothing seemed to be coming to her mind.

"There has to be SOME other reason." The redhead says. Gabriella's body tenses up as finally, her prayer was answered when her best girl friend steps up.

"Maybe you should ask Troy. It's not like he and Gabriella have the same brain." Taylor says somewhat rudely, but it didn't matter. The girls' looks horrorstricken for a moment, but then try to quickly recover since neither one of them wanted to get on the bad side of the most popular girl in school.

Gabriella eyes suddenly look up as she feels her body tense up again. Four girls were walking to them, with a blonde in front and a girl with long, bouncy brunette hair in the back. Her skin was tanner from the last time Gabriella saw her, giving her a gorgeous glow. Her there were small, black bags under her eyes, but other then that she looked incredible with her tight red shirt that cut down to a "v", giving the perfect amount of cleavage. The milk chocolate brown eyes lift up and connect with the dark chocolate, making Gabriella feel like she was going to throw up. There was no way she could compete with this. Troy was probably going to beg on his knees for Olivia to take him back. And at the moment, it made Gabriella just want to run upstairs to the bathroom to puke up whatever was in her system.

"Hey…" Julia says with a smile, looking at Gabriella. Was this good? Was she not angry even though Gabriella almost stole her cousin's boyfriend away? Gabriella didn't know, but she seemed to have a sincere smile on her face, even though Gabriella and Olivia's eyes weren't leaving each other.

"Uh… hey." Taylor responds for her while Julia then turns to her other two friends they were talking with before. Olivia finally looks at the floor, with a sudden sad expression on her face. Gabriella's heart almost broke with hers. She knew what it was like to have Troy not want you back, and it hurt. It definitely hurt.

Somehow, Olivia manages to end up by Kelsi. Gabriella's eyes glance over to see that the piercing blue eyes were now locked on her, not stealing glances, but with concern. He takes a step forward from the other side of the room, but Gabriella shakes her head, as if to say leave it alone, she could handle this. "So how've you been?" Kelsi asks, even though Gabriella knew she was really saying, 'How are you feeling about everything?'

Olivia shrugs her perfect shoulders as Gabriella could help but get the sick feeling in her stomach again. The Christmas lights seemed to be amplifying her features and Gabriella felt threatened, once again, by her. Even though Troy had basically been trying to assure her that he wanted to be with her for the past couple days, she couldn't help but get the feeling that he was going to go back to Olivia eventually. Paranoid? Yes, but what else could you expect? She had her heart stomped on by this girl; she had to feel like she was a threat even if she wasn't.

"I'm fine." She says, even though Gabriella could see the pain written in her eyes. "It's tough, but I'll be fine."

Wow. She was being mature about this. Gabriella would never think that way. Maybe it was because his best friend was there also that she didn't want to feel vulnerable. Olivia had a small, attempt at a confident smile on her face. Gabriella lets out a small sigh. She felt like a bitch right now.

"I'm sorry Liv. About what happened." Gabriella says and gives her a soft smile. Olivia's head turns to her and her eyes narrow a little. Was that anger? Gabriella stomach flips a little. Did she know? But the narrowed eyes go away as she shrugs.

"Whatever. I really don't want to talk about it alright?" She says more defensively with Gabriella then with Kelsi. Gabriella glances at Taylor, who had a confused look on her face, but must have definitely noticed the change in demeanor.

"Sorry." Gabriella mumbles as her eyes look over across the room to see that the boy she had been staring at all night was gone. What? Where was he? She had to keep an eye on him all night. Was that stalkerish? Probably. But it was dangerous if she let him out of her sight. One, he could surprise her and catch her off guard, or he could be with another girl. The scary part was, she wasn't sure which one would be worse.

"Dude… there are elves!" A voice exclaims while Gabriella looks over and her stomach flips once again. Chad, Jason, and her favorite boy were walking towards them, Jason pointing stupidly towards one of the servants who looked like they could chuck something at the boys.

"Very good Jason." Troy says as they stop in front of the girls, rolling his eyes. It was obvious that Jason was already trashed, and Chad looked a little tipsy. But Gabriella was extremely shocked to see that Troy wasn't drunk yet. At least, he didn't look drunk.

The sudden tension in the air grows at an immense rate as everyone suddenly looks between the ex couple. Troy's eyes seem to lock on Olivia's while her mouth was open slightly. She looked like she wanted to say something to him, but nothing came out of her mouth. Troy's mouth was in a small smile. Gabriella's body tenses up. For once, she couldn't read his expression. Was that a, 'I miss you and want to date you again' smile? She didn't know.

"Hey." Troy says smoothly, obviously trying to take control of the awkward situation. It hits Gabriella that this was the first time they had seen each other since the break up. Talk about awkward.

"Um… hi." She says slowly, while her eyes were darting left and right, probably trying to find an exit. Then finally settle on looking down, and then she points to the left and moves her arm. "I'm gonna go… find… I'll catch you guys later."

Almost as quickly as it happened, she turns on her heels in the other direction and walks away. Troy's eyes watch her as Gabriella's own close. He was missing her. He had to be. Why wouldn't you? She was perfect. Everything Gabriella was and more. Of course he missed her. Troy lets out a sigh as he runs a hand through his hair. "She hates me."

Taylor rolls her eyes as she looks at him. "Of course she hates you! You broke up with her! You can't expect her to be best friends right after you dumped her."

At the word 'best friends' Troy's eyes meet Gabriella's. She barely was registering what Taylor finished saying as their eyes were connected. But the moment passes as a suddenly piercing voice enters her ears. "There you are!"

Gabriella looks to see Sharpay was stumbling into the area while gripping at the counter top. Zeke was carrying what looked like a white heel in his hand as Sharpay was giggling a little. "Hey guys." He says.

"Some party huh?" Sharpay asks while looking at everyone's faces. "What?"

"Nothing." Troy says and then clears his throat again. "Nothing." He repeats.

Sharpay's mouth forms an "o" shape as she grabs Troy's bicep. Even though Gabriella knew they were just friends and Sharpay had a boyfriend and she was wasted, she still couldn't help but feel the jealousy rip through her veins. "Is Olivia giving you a hard time? Should I kick her out?"

Troy chuckles a little while he shrugs his arm to shake Sharpay off. "No Shar, she's not."

Sharpay stares at him for a moment. "I would. Especially if you want 'alone time' with Gabs." She says and then laughs obnoxiously.

Troy's eyes shoot to Gabriella's, along with everyone else's. It hadn't been said that they had a thing for each other out loud at all, and it was just like Sharpay to be the one to do it, even if she was drunk. Gabriella takes a step back, suddenly feeling self-conscious with everyone staring. She couldn't take it. Not with everyone's eyes on her and the pressure of fighting Troy's temptations, along with trying to be the good person. "I… um… bathroom…" She states while then turning around on her heels, just as Olivia did a few moments before.

The only difference was that Gabriella immediately runs towards the stairs. She doesn't even bother to see anyone else behind her as she makes it to the first floor. Her heart was racing. This couldn't be going on. She had done so well, why was she getting this self-conscious feeling now? Her feet carry her through the white hallways that now looked black in the light. Multiple couples were pushed up against the wall, their lips connected and their tongues dancing. She sprints straight through them.

Her feet make it to the bottom of the huge staircase, leading up to the bathroom upstairs. Her ballet flats slide a little while she slows down, knowing she was safe from wandering eyes now. All she wanted was to get away from everyone, and it seemed that upstairs was the perfect place. The second story was dark, and she could hear the base from the basement echoing and vibrating the floor. She was safe.

Gabriella walks towards the bathroom, as a reflex and pushes the door ajar. Her eyes look up in the huge white room. The bathroom itself seemed to be the size of Gabriella's kitchen, with silver linoleum floors and grey walls. There was a small ficus in the corner near the tub that looked more like a Jacuzzi then a bath tub. She closes her eyes for a moment, before looking back into the mirror. Her side ponytail was still in place, with the black eyeliner under her eyes had smudged a little. Her mind was formulating a plan. Stay in here for about ten minutes to recharge, and then go back to the basement. Her eyes look to the black clock on the wall to see that it was almost eleven and her curfew was midnight. Everything would be fine.

But of course, Gabriella's plans were always rearranged.

She hears a soft squeak coming from the side of her. The dark hair whips around as she looks to find that the adjacent door was opening. Oh no, it was probably someone who had to go to the bathroom. She would feel like a complete idiot, just standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes immediately dart back and forth to see if there was a place to hide. Damn.

The deep brown orbs look up and suddenly her breath was sucked out of her. The door swings open with the one person she didn't want to see, yet so badly needed leaning up against the frame. His arms were crossed, causing the red shirt to roll up to his elbows. Troy's smirk was amused as his chestnut brown eyebrows were raised while looking at her. Gabriella couldn't feel her body as his drowning ocean blue eyes look her body up and down for a moment. "You alright?"

Her throat was sandpaper. The tongue in her mouth was immobile as he was looking at her. The only thing she could do was nod her head slowly. "Fine." She manages to squeak out while placing her calloused hand onto the counter for support. This was scaring her. They couldn't be alone together. She couldn't do that to Olivia.

Troy pushes off the frame with his shoulder and walks to her. "You didn't look fine back there." He says while Gabriella looks down. Her body turns towards the mirror to see that her face was a little flushed, and her left hand was shaking. So her right reaches over and picks up the black rubber band that was sitting on her wrist, snapping it slowly.

"You just… know me with staring." Gabriella responds while she watches him walk to her in the mirror. The mirror almost seemed to be steaming with every step that Troy took towards her.

"Yeah… I know." He responds and stops right next to her, leaning up against the counter. "Why are you avoiding me?" He asks plainly. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't be this blunt, but the two were so close that it didn't even matter.

"Troy… I really can't do this now…" She says and turns towards the door, that just so happens to be in his direction.

"Why not?" He asks with passion written the in the crystal blue. Gabriella's hand was still shaking as she continues to snap the rubber band on her wrist. "When can you do it Gab? I don't get it."

Gabriella closes her eyes. "Troy… please. I just can't. I can't do this to myself, or Olivia." She says while moving around him. She had to leave, or something bad was going to happen.

"Would you stop thinking about other people for one Goddamn minute?" Troy asks in a passionate voice. Gabriella turns around to face the grey-tone bathroom again and looks up into the sparkling blue eyes.

"What?" She asks in a small voice. Troy's arm was shaking slightly as he takes a step forward.

"You're so fucking concerned about everyone else. You care too much about if this person is ok, or if this person is hurt, how you can make it better." He says in a raising voice that wasn't angry, just passionate. His skin seemed to be glowing as the mirror seemed to be condensing even more. His voice was shaking slightly also. "You don't say anything when you liked me and I was going after Olivia because you wanted me to be happy. But guess what? I would have been happier if you would have just told me, then we wouldn't be in this mess. For one Goddamn second, just be selfish. Just take what you want. Just… just…" He stutters a little while he was now so close to her, she could feel his hot husky breath on her face. "Just fucking let me kiss you."

With that Troy pushes his body up against hers, causing the door to slam behind them. She didn't even have a moment to react before Troy's lips came crashing onto hers. Electrical waves that Gabriella had never felt before were rushing through her nerves at the speed of light. Her body goes limp for a moment, before feeling pleasure beyond all belief. Her eyes immediately shut as she wraps her arms around his neck. His wet tongue forces through her lips and into her mouth in a hot, sexy controlling way. His groin pushes up against hers again, slamming her body against the door and making her moan slightly.

It was wrong, but Gabriella wasn't paying attention to it right now. Her mind was cleared of everything that had been in it for the past couple days as she suddenly found a pulse in between her legs. Troy's groin pushes up again as she then felt a poke, knowing he was enjoying this as much as she was. Their tongues were dancing with each other, discovering each other in a new and exciting way. This was the one thing that Gabriella never knew about Troy, how good his kisses were. And God, they were already incredible.

Her hands unravel from his neck and reach up above her head as her body slides down the door slightly, Troy following. His tongue withdraws from her mouth as her teeth suddenly bite his bottom lip. He moans and tries to push his body up harder against the door, making a loud "thud".

"Troy…" She moans, and suddenly remembers the plan to stay as far away from him as possible. Well, it was failing, because they couldn't get much closer. "… please stop…" She begs in between kisses that tasted sweeter and sweeter each time. His tongue slips inside her mouth again and begins to massage hers, as she finally sits on the floor, while his legs straddled hers, still rubbing his groin up against hers, sending shock waves through the pulsating organ.

"I can't…" He responds after taking a breath, and then attacks her mouth again. His hand grabs the back of her head, and she could feel something metal back there. Her eyes open for a moment, and she swears she could see a glowing scarlet light reflecting off the door. His hand brings her head closer to him. Suddenly, she feels a warm palm against her stomach as she realizes that Troy's hand was making circles there.

Almost as quickly as it happened, there was a suddenly knock on the door. The two immediately stop kissing, with their tongues in each other's mouths when they hear. "I gotta piss!" From a guy whose voice was now being carried down the hallway. Neither one of them moved, because neither one of them wanted to stop what they were doing. But after what felt like hours, Gabriella retrieves her tongue from his mouth and looks down, matching his pants.

"Fuck…" Troy mumbles while he was stroking the back of her hair. Gabriella's hands were intertwined with his own chestnut brown as she couldn't breathe. He had basically sucked the life out of her, as well as all of her thoughts. "God Gab…"

His forehead leans up against hers while she continues to pant while staring at the floor. What did she just do? That felt amazing, and she wanted so badly to do it again, but it was complete against everything she had thought before. What now? What could she do? She didn't want to not talk to him, but there was still a part of her that was screaming at her for doing this to herself and Olivia. She had to think. She needed to be alone. She just… didn't know what was going on.

"I…" Gabriella starts to say as she brings her head up slowly. Their eyes meet and Gabriella's heart melts. "I need to think."

Troy's mouth practically drops to the floor. He raises his eyebrows while Gabriella could see horror seeping through them. "You're fucking kidding me." He responds with poison laced in his voice. "You need to think. What are you going to ignore me again?"

Gabriella opens her mouth. She needed him to understand. She couldn't just jump into this. Her emotions took over and there wasn't any way of stopping them. She could tell he was angry, and couldn't blame him, but she couldn't do this. "No… I just… I need you… but right now I need you as a best friend more."

Troy looks at the ground while still stroking the back of her hair. She knew how much he wanted to be with her, but she couldn't do it. Not right now. Not until she was ready. She didn't want to jump into something when she wasn't ready. "This is hard Gab… I want to be with you. So bad."

Gabriella bites her bottom lip. "Please Troy. I just… I need a couple days ok? So much is happening so fast." She knew deep down this had nothing to do with him. Deep down it would always revert back to her control issue. And she was slipping away from control with every second that went by. "Please Troy…" She begs.

He closes his eyes, and Gabriella knew that the best friend side of him was coming out again. She needed her best friend right now, until she could get her head screwed on straight. It wouldn't be fair to her or Troy if she just jumped in while she was struggling with the control issue. What she needed was a couple days, that was it. Just a few days to figure out what was going on in her head.

"I care about you too much to say I wouldn't wait." He states, while getting up on his knees. Gabriella watches as the passion in his eyes slowly slips away and he leans forward to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "But I'd be a liar if I said I won't be back for you. I'll give you a little time. But I need you Gab, and I'm not going to give you up…" He says while nuzzling her neck a little, making Gabriella's heart sing. "Not ever."


	29. Always Something There to Remind Me

"My body is shot."

Gabriella's eyes look up from the yellow tinted paper to look down at the body that was lying on the floor. The blonde's skin was almost the color of the paper in Gabriella's hand. Her eyes were closed as her gray tank top was a little off-centered, along with her sweatpants as well. She couldn't remember the last time Sharpay actually wore sweatpants, so it was obvious to Gabriella that she had the biggest hangover probably of her life.

"That's what happens when you get trashed Shar." The dark girl states as Gabriella looks to see Taylor was sitting on the small bed with another small figure whose eyes were scanning a paper that looked exactly like the one Gabriella was holding. The only difference was that the small girl wearing glasses didn't let her eyes leave the paper and looked panicked.

"Can you not yell? Thanks Mom." Sharpay says with a sarcastic voice that makes Gabriella roll her eyes.

Her mind was spinning from the events that happened last night. Not that it hadn't been spinning already, but the DVD of her and Troy's life was going on a repeat cycle. Her lips still tingled a little from the sensation of his being pushed up against hers. It of course was just her imagination, but it still didn't take away from the feeling. His hands on her body, everything. She had waited so long, too long. Most people would be running to him.

But Gabriella was never like most girls.

"Why didn't you stop me?" Sharpay asks while Taylor rolls her eyes.

"Sober Sharpay doesn't even listen to anything we say…" Taylor states. "Wasted Sharpay is like dealing with hell."

Sharpay tries to glare up at her, but her face doesn't change much since she was still squinting. "Go study Biology or something."

The dark girl rolls her eyes again and then looks over at Gabriella and Kelsi. "So when do you two have to leave?" Taylor asks in a hushed tone. Gabriella suddenly hears a loud groan and then a "thump" as one of the white pillows that were on the floor comes crashing over Sharpay's head. Her face was covered by it as she was moaning loudly, probably suffering from the biggest headache of her life.

They were sitting in Kelsi's room since Kelsi and Gabriella had to leave in a few hours to go to auditions for choir. Kelsi was struggling with songs that she had to play for other people, while Gabriella couldn't get the sound of her own song right. To her, she gave off the nails on the chalkboard sound with each note that was sung. It also didn't help that all she could think about was what she wanted with the chestnut brown haired boy, and the song was called "We'll Be Together". Not helping.

"Auditions start at three." Kelsi says in almost a rehersed tone as she makes a pen mark on the sheet of paper she was looking at. "I have to be there by two-thirty for 'cleansing of the pianist' or whatever Darbus' crazy idea is."

Gabriella nods, knowing it was true about her crazy ideas. "And I'm going with her." She says while picking up the tan colored rubber band that was sitting on her wrist and snaps it. How could she audition with a song that sounded like pigs and what she wanted to do about Troy on her mind right now? Her head was telling her to wait, but her heart… her heart was begging for his kisses again. Which meant her other organ in between her legs was also begging for his kisses, and so much more. "I can't sit still for more then like an hour." She states while Sharpay finally removes the pillow from her head, only to squint into the sunlight coming through the windows.

"Oh please." She says in an annoyed tone. "You obviously could stay in the bathroom last night."

Gabriella's face blushes immediately. Of course, she had told the three what happened after she left the basement last night, figuring that Troy told all the guys also. "Shar… drop it." Taylor warns in a defiant voice.

"Whatever." She responds while squinting up at Gabriella. "It's not like you didn't want it."

Gabriella bites her bottom lip. She was right. She was completely right. She wanted it. And she still wanted it, plus so much more. She needed him, but how could she do it? The fear of him being in control of her was overcoming her. He could change his mind about her in a second. He did about Olivia, didn't he? "It doesn't matter ok? I've got to get this song…" She says while looking at the lyrics, wanting to throw up after doing so. "I can't turn mine off? What is my heart, a TV or something?"

Finally, Kelsi lifts up her head to let the sunlight on her glasses reflect as she stares at Gabriella. "Can I take a look?" She asks timidly, in the voice Kelsi always talks in. Gabriella slowly hands the sheet over for her to look at.

There was silence in the room, except for the occasional moans erupting from Sharpay. Gabriella looks over at Taylor, who just rolls her eyes at their overly dramatic friend and then looks back to Kelsi to see her eyebrows were narrowed beneath her glasses. She could almost hear the clock ticking. It was just under an hour and a half until auditions and she was no where ready. Not if this song sounded like Sharpay on the floor right now.

After what felt like forever, Kelsi finally looks up from the paper and sighs. "The song is cute…" She says while handing the paper back to Gabriella. "But you never do anything cute. You're bored." Her quiet tone says while she takes off her glasses. "That's why it sounds like a dying cat. It's a boring, easy song. You need something with passion." She wipes the glasses on her navy blue long sleeved shirt.

Gabriella's body tenses. "What? It's a bad song!" Her eyes immediately dart to the clock. Her heart was starting to beat a little faster with her nerves starting to act up. This wasn't good. Not good at all. "What am I supposed to do? We have to leave in an hour and a half!"

Kelsi sighs and puts her glasses on. She places her hand out to Gabriella as if to calm her down, even though that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. What was she going to do? "Try to calm down." Kelsi instructs, which surprises Gabriella since she usually never took charge with anything. "We can work with it I guess." She says, but didn't look hopeful. It wasn't that Gabriella didn't believe she'd get a solo, but it was more the fact that she needed this to be perfect. Singing is what saved her life during her eating disorder; she couldn't loose control of that too.

Gabriella shakes her head and looks up to the ceiling. "It's useless… don't even bother."

Her eyes close. How could everything slip from her so quickly? It seemed like she was falling in a well, and there were no sides to grip onto to climb back up. But what she didn't know was that in the well, there was a hand reaching from the top to pull her up. A hand with a scarlet ring on its finger.

Kelsi sighs as she looks down at the pile of songs below her. Suddenly, Gabriella watches hopelessly as her eyes narrow a little and then her hands shuffle through the yellow papers that were sitting there. "Wait…" She says while her fingers were working magic. Taylor was staring at her while Gabriella had a curious, yet slightly anxious look on her face. "Got it…" She says while pulling out a sheet of paper. This sheet was completely white, unlike the other yellowish tinged ones. It also looked a lot sturdier then the other ones, like it could have been construction paper. "Here."

Gabriella picks up the sheet and her stomach flips. Horror was stricken across her features as she looks up at Kelsi. "'Don't you dare?' Kels, I can't learn a new song in an hour and a half!"

Panic was officially surging through her veins. "Yes you can. It's either that or screeching cats." Kelsi says while pointing towards the other sheet of music. Gabriella holds up both of them, reading the lyrics on the new song. "I wrote that. And I think you'll be able to relate."

Her hands felt heavy as she held the papers. She had a decision to make. Keep the old one, which was safe, what she was used to. She wouldn't have to worry about unexpected turns, because this one she had down to each note. But the other. The other song was more powerful, more exciting. It was stronger, and it her in a more emotional way. Kind of like the decision she had to make with Troy.

The only problem is she didn't know which was scarier, doing something new and dangerous, or not doing anything at all.

* * *

"Dude, you're an idiot."

Troy looks up at the guy with the huge afro in front of him. He shrugs and continues to dry his hair off with the white towel he was holding. "Probably." He mutters while glancing up in the mirror to make sure his hair wasn't standing up. His bright yellow t-shirt really wasn't complimenting with his back basketball shorts, making him feel like a bumble bee. He also had a shadow above his lip from where he hadn't shaven that morning. But it wasn't his fault. He wasn't planning on doing this before he had gotten to basketball that afternoon.

"No… not probably, you are." Chad says while taking a couple steps forward and lowering his voice. "She said she needed a couple days, and here you go, prancing trying to whisk her away. Dude, it's just gonna scare her off."

He glances back at Chad and shakes his head. "No dude. It's not like that. I wasn't even gonna stay, but Jason wants to watch Kelsi." He says while glancing in the mirror to see that the rest of the guys were still changing.

He had told Chad what happened immediately after Gabriella ran out of the bathroom after he had gotten up off her last night. He had neither seen, nor talked to her since the bathroom scene, keeping true to his word. This morning, he had called Zeke and talked to him about it, since Zeke usually had good advice. But he hadn't mentioned it to Jason, because he seemed to have the worst hang over of his life, since he was the only one besides Sharpay who was completely smashed last night.

They had just gotten done with basketball practice, since they seemed to be the only sport who would have to come in and practice during winter break, not that Troy minded much. It also just so happened that the auditions for choir started a half hour ago, and Jason asked him to stay to watch Kelsi, since he didn't realize Troy shouldn't be talking to Gabriella. But Troy didn't have to worry about Olivia, since he remembered her saying she wasn't going to try out because she wasn't as passionate about singing, and just did choir for fun.

"It doesn't matter man. You're gonna be so fucked." He says while Troy shakes his head.

"No… I'm not. I'm not going to mention anything about well… us." He says while sighing and leaning up against the white wall of the locker room to wait for Jason to slowly change. "Best friend Troy is going to the auditions today."

Chad rolls his eyes at the stupidity of how that sounded, and Troy knew it after it came out of his mouth. "So what's the other Troy then? Horny Troy?"

It was Troy's turn to rolls his eyes as Chad laughs. "Shut up man."

"You know it's true." He responds and then pauses, for a couple seniors walk past Troy giving him a small wave. "If that dude hadn't knocked on the door, you know something would have happened."

The piercing blue eyes move away from the almost black as he looks at the ground. He knew that there was no way he'd be able to stop himself if things started to get taken further with Gabriella. But the question that was circling his mind was, would she have stopped him? His head was telling him yes, of course she would have. But his heart knew otherwise, and he just had to touch that part of her to convince her that they needed to be together.

He was angry when she first said that she needed to think things through. Hadn't she been thinking about things while she avoided him? Why were they going through this same cycle all over again? Something told him she was afraid. Afraid he'd break her heart. Or maybe she was afraid that if they took things to the next level, they wouldn't be able to be best friends anymore. Which was completely wrong, because whatever happens, Troy would always be there for her, no matter what.

"Dude, where's my shoe?" A groan says as Troy's head looks to see that Jason was looking around the locker-room with his head down. His usually pale skin was even paler as he looked like he could pass out at any moment.

"Found it!" Zeke's voice could be heard from around the lockers as he comes out holding a white sneaker.

"You look awful man." Chad says while clapping Jason on the shoulder, only to find that the light boy stumbles a little.

"Thanks." Jason says sarcastically while placing his shoe on and attempts to tie it.

"So we're practicing early tomorrow right?" Zeke asks to conferm if it was true or not. Troy nods his head slowly as he continues to lean up against the white wall with his foot propped up behind him.

"Yeah. My dad wants us to be out of here by like eight." He says thinking of how tomorrow night he was going to have to spend it with the family, even though the only one he could think about was Gabriella. Would she even want to hang out on Christmas? Christmas Eve was tomorrow, and it was tradition for them to hang out on Christmas, give each other presents, the whole deal. Would they still do it if Gabriella couldn't trust just being with him?

"Ok… I think I'm ready." Jason announces while Troy smirks his bright white smile.

"You sure man? We can pace it there." He jokes while Jason glares at him slightly.

"Shut up." He responds while the four guys walks towards the entrance of the locker room.

After saying goodbye to Chad and Zeke, the two guys walk towards the other side of the school to head to the auditorium. Troy's knees were shaking as they walked. He was going as her best friend, but what happens if she yells at him for coming? What if she tells him he had just ruined every chance he had at having her because he was a stalker? What if she never wanted to talk to him again?

They open the tan doors to the theater and Troy immediately feels a change of atmosphere. East High was mostly about the incredible sports that were played there, but the talent on stage was just as good as the basketball team itself. Only one small girl who looked like a freshman was standing on stage. There were about twenty students sitting in the first two rows of the audience with a big woman in satin robes standing up now. She seemed to be in mid-sentence when Troy suddenly hears a slam behind him, and his head immediately spins around to see Jason had a sheepish look on his face, forgetting to be quiet when closing the door.

"… Next time, sing more in your rage and you'll…" Darbus' dreamy voice that could be pointed out a mile away stops as she turns around, with the rest of the choir class except for a few. Kelsi, who was sitting at the piano, suddenly beams while her eyes were on the two. Troy suddenly feels his face become hot as he tries to scan faces, seeing a lot of the girls looking angry, and then blushing when realizing who it was. But his eyes were set for only one girl, who didn't seem to be turned around right now, but he could point out the beautiful black curly locks out anywhere. "Nice going." Troy says out of the corner of his mouth while him and Jason find seats in the back row of the audience.

"Sorry." Jason mutters back as Troy keeps his eyes on the girl who wouldn't turn around. He knew it was because she always had to be focused before singing, and wouldn't let anything distract her. Singing was so important to her; most people had no idea except him.

"…the theater does not tolerate loud noises during performances…" Ms. Darbus says while staring down the two boys with her bug eyed glasses. Troy sinks in his seat as Jason mutters an apology; though there was no way she would be able to hear it. "Anyways… Travis and Rachael!"

'Look behind you. Just turn around.' Troy almost begs with Gabriella in his head, but knew it was useless. They could usually read each other's minds, but Troy was starting to get crazy thinking that maybe she'd be able to hear him inside her head. He looks up to the stage to see a small girl who looked scared with a guy who looked confident. His eyes were on the back of Gabriella's head while the piano starts to play. He doesn't even notice the girl's hands lift up the microphone.

"Am I heading for disaster?"

Troy's body suddenly freezes. That was the song. The song that started all of this. His eyes immediately lift up from Gabriella's head to see that the girl was still singing timidly. He couldn't help but realize how gorgeous Gabriella's voice was compared to this girl. And he wasn't going to lie, his voice sounded so much better than the guys too. But maybe that was just because he sang it with the voice of an angel. Gabriella seemed to have noticed too, because the black locks spring up and look at the stage.

The two finish and then take a bow. The rest of the theater claps a little while Darbus stands up and smiles. "Bravo! Brava!" She also looks to the girl who Troy was staring at also and smiles brightly at her. "You two really turned it around. Now onto solos, next!"

Troy's eyes remain on Gabriella's body for the next two performers. Couldn't she just look around? Look at the clock in the back of the theater or something? Almost as though his prayer was answered, the girl sitting next to Gabriella suddenly nudges her shoulder. Troy could see her head look up from whatever she was looking at. The girl nods to the back of the theater and almost as if in slow motion, Gabriella's head finally turns around. The piercing ocean blue connect with the deep chocolate brown, to see her own eyes grow wide and then she immediately turns around, sinking in her seat a little.

Oh no. That couldn't be good. She didn't want him there. It was obvious. She didn't want him and now would probably never talk to him again. Troy sinks in his own seat, feeling his heart drop to the floor. She hated him. What was he, stupid? Why didn't he just listen to Chad?

"Er… thank you Emily." Ms. Darbus says while waving her hand as if to wave the girl away from her sight. She looks down at a sheet of paper and Troy could almost hear the smile on her face. "Ms. Montez, could you maybe show us why we gather to listen to performers?"

Troy's stomach flips at the sound of Gabriella's name. He watches as the girl timidly stands up. She moves to the side and begins walking, Troy noticing how thin she actually was. Why did she ever believe she needed to loose weight? She was perfect the way she was, perfectly curved. God, he'd give anything to run his hands over to bare body. Just to be able to hold her in his arms would be enough to satisfy him for a lifetime.

Gabriella's ballet flats echo against the steps as she runs up them to the stage. As she reaches the top, she straightens out her jean skirt a little and then her three quarter sleeved length navy blue knit top. Her feet briskly take her to the center where the microphone was. Troy watches as the deep brown eyes look at the small girl sitting at the piano, who gives her a reassuring smile. Jason says something next to him, but Troy wasn't paying attention; he couldn't take his eyes off her. She grabs the microphone with her small right hand as Kelsi's fingers begin to move on the piano, also giving her a small nod in encouragement. Gabriella's eyes were closed, until she opens her mouth and looks blankly at the wall behind Troy.

_Dark cloud moving in,_

_Just one fall of rain could wash away_

_Wash away the pain_

Her voice was worthy of angels. Troy could see her body shaking a little, proving to him how nervous she actually was. But what was catching his attention was the emotion that was laced into her voice. Was this from all the emotion that he was feeling too about everything going on between them right now?

_Just one ray of sun_

_To warm my skin_

_Rid me of the cold you're drowning in_

He couldn't help but feel a deeper side of him being touched at this moment. If he would have looked around, he would have seen all of the people sitting in the audience staring at her like she was Mariah Carey. But he wasn't looking at anyone else. The only one he could see right now was the girl on the stage. Her eyes close for a moment, then open up as they lock on the piercing blue, shocking him a little.

_I could say that I don't care_

_But the truth is I'd follow you anywhere_

_I've been waiting such a long long time_

_Don't you dare change, your mind._

That was it. This was about him. She didn't know if she chose this because of him, but it was completely about him and he knew it. Her eyes wouldn't leave his through the entire refrain, but finally close before she looks to the ground for a moment. It was about how she was scared. That's all it had to do with.

_Don't wander round looking for someone to replace me_

_Don't wander round wasting the rest of your life_

_Don't wander round waiting for someone else to save you_

_And don't you make the same mistake… twice_

Right before the word "twice" comes out of her mouth, her eyes lock onto Troy's again. He lowers his head a little, as if to look at her through the brows of his eyes, promising her he'd never do that. It was clear to Troy now. She was afraid that he was going to suddenly change his mind about her. Like how he liked Olivia, then suddenly he didn't anymore. But this was different. Because he loved Gabriella, no matter what. No one would ever replace her. Never.

_I could say that I don't care_

_But the truth is I'd follow you…_

_I've been waiting such a long long time_

_Don't you dare change, your mind_

Her voice suddenly gets powerful. It fills the room as her eyes close, probably not able to hold the emotion. Troy's body almost feels like it could be lifted off of the red theater chair. All he wanted to do was run up down the aisle and up to the stage to lift her up and kiss her, promising he'd never leave her. He'd never stop loving her. No matter if it was best friend, or lover, he'd never stop loving her.

The noise of the piano fills the room one last time before there was a moment of silence. The deep brown eyes and the ocean blue were locked on each others while Gabriella takes a step back from the microphone. Suddenly, Troy stands up in the back row and puts his hands together, making a "clap". He does it again, and then suddenly hears the rest of the auditorium erupt in applause. She smiles a closed smile as her eyes finally rip away from Troy's to look at Kelsi, who gives her a thumbs up.

For the next half hour, no one else's performance came close to being as good as Gabriella's. It seemed that everyone else was so intimidated by how good she sang, that they didn't even attempt to beat her. After what felt like forever, Darbus says her closings, then walks out through the doors as the rest of the choir plus Troy and Jason stand up. Kelsi walks down the stage to meet Gabriella, and Troy's stomach was in knots. Both he and Jason walk down the aisle until they reach the bottom, where the two girls were looking at them. The blue and the brown connect, as his body was shaking once again. This was it.

"You did amazing!" Jason says while pulling Kelsi into a hug. She returns it and the shrugs.

"Thanks." She says and then glances at Gabriella. "It's this girl who should be getting the glory."

Gabriella's eyes move away from Troy's as she looks at the ground modestly. "It was alright for putting together in an hour." She says while still staring at the floor. He wanted to say something, but his mouth seemed to be completely dry. He was an idiot.

"You…" He finally manages to get out. Gabriella's head lifts up to meet his eyes once again. "You're beautiful…" He says looking at her to see her skin was glowing. The piercing blue eyes grow wide at realizing what he just said and he shakes his head. "I mean sang… You sang beautifully." He says while leaning towards her and dropping his voice a little, trying not to be threatening.

Her mouth opens, not looking angry at all, which made Troy relieved. "Thanks."

Troy gives her a smile, trying to convince her with all of his heart that he would never leave her if they got together. He wanted her to be in his favor, but didn't want to push it too hard. "And just so you know…" He says in a more quiet tone while glancing to see that Kelsi and Jason were too wrapped up in their selves to be paying attention. "I wouldn't dare change my mind."

Gabriella's eyes gloss over for a second, before she closes them and nods. "I'm starting to believe that. But I've been waiting so long Troy…" She says while opening them again. "I won't get hurt. I can't. You know I can't."

Troy nods slowly and gives her a small smile. "I know. That's why you can trust me." He says while taking a step back. "I'll see ya later." He says while taking two more steps back with their eyes locked, then turns around and walks towards the exit.


	30. Just Can't Get Enough

She was craving him.

"Mi Amor! Don't you look gorgeous!" A quick voice says as suddenly Gabriella felt herself being pulled into a tight squeeze. Her lungs were getting crushed by the larger woman's embrace while she looks over the lady's shoulder to see her father chuckling quietly. She finally lets go of the girl, making Gabriella practically gasp for breath as she places her hand on her chest for a moment. "You're glowing! Gosh you just get prettier every time I see you!" The woman announces while grabbing Gabriella's hands.

"Thanks Aunt Elvira." Gabriella says while looking at the larger woman. She was about the same height of Gabriella, with a large stomach and shoulder-length hair that reaches her shoulders in curls. She was wearing a black dress and had the deep brown eyes, a little lighter then Gabriella's.

His smooth shoulders, the rock hard abs that were forming from basketball, the strong arms that felt incredible when their skin touched.

Being with family always made Gabriella feel that they hadn't seen each other in years, when in fact, she saw them during Thanksgiving. Gabriella smiles at her aunt as she looks into the kitchen. There were about three women standing near the sink where the food was being prepared, while the men were in the connecting family room with a football game playing in the background. She could also hear the squeals in the living room her younger cousins, since she was the second oldest.

"Ella, my girl." Another, older lady states while placing her arms out in front of her. Gabriella walks over and gingerly wraps her arms around the small woman. She was thin, extremely thin actually, with tan skin that resembled her fathers. She also had mountain gray hair that came down her back. Her hands were slightly shaky, with the blue veins evident. She had a freckle on her cheek that was large, but what drew you to her face were her deep, dark chocolate colored eyes that Gabriella woke up to every morning. It was no secret where she got her eyes from, her father's side of the family. "My have you grown." Her grandmother states while her other aunts look to her with smiles on their faces.

The way his piercing blue orbs seemed to leak passion, making her want to fall to her knees, everything about him she wanted, and she couldn't help her body from feeling the familiar throb just thinking about him.

Her eyes find her father, who was now standing with her uncle talking about sports probably. He had one brother and one sister, and was also the youngest in the family. His sister, her Aunt Elvira, was who owned the gorgeous Mexican style house, with her husband and their son, Carlos. Her uncle was married with five children, three boys and two girls. She smiles brightly at her grandmother whose hands were almost as calloused as hers, only for different reasons.

Her grandmother pulls away from her and then walks over to her mother, giving her a tight squeeze. Gabriella feels her lips form a lazy smile while she adjusts the red sweater she was wearing that was form fitting to her body with a grey cami underneath. She was also wearing a pair of black pants and black heels, giving her a sophisticated, yet hot look even if she was with family. Though her head didn't seem to be in the kitchen at that time.

Of course, her mind couldn't push Troy out. It seemed that after yesterday, her head was even more confused if that was even possible. She was definitely not angry that he came to her audition yesterday. Though it caught her a little off guard at first, it seemed to give her a little more emotion to sing the song that she had just recently learned. The song was about him, and she knew that Kelsi picked it out on purpose. Well, it helped, and he helped being there, because she didn't think she had ever sung that well in her life.

Plus, he coming also proved that he wasn't just in it for the physical aspect of things. Because if all he wanted from Gabriella was sex, he would have touched her yesterday, or tried to make a move. But instead, he spoke words to her and then left with out laying a finger on her. Though her hormones were disappointed, her mind was definitely leaning towards being with Troy after what happened. She came home from the audition last night and thought, long and hard, for the first time by herself. She wasn't even going to try to deny it. Her mind was leaning towards giving her and Troy a chance.

A sudden boom erupts in the house, and Gabriella looks to the window where she could hear the pitter patter of rain outside. "Look at that weather." Her grandmother states while meeting her gaze out the window. "Thunderstorms on Christmas Eve."

"So has anything new or exciting been happening with you?" Her aunt asks, breaking her out of the trance of only staring into those brilliant blue eyes. Gabriella shakes her head to clear her thoughts, even though the new and exciting things have been with Troy.

"Oh, nothing really." Gabriella responds while looking at her mother, who was giving her a small smile. She hadn't really said anything about her and Troy, but she could tell her mother knew from how much they hung out last week while Olivia was gone and how many times he called her. "Just school, and hanging out with friends I guess."

"Are you enjoying winter break?" Her other Aunt asks, while she grabs the rubber band on her wrist and begins snapping. Not that she was uncomfortable or nervous right now, but more anxious about what was going to happen the next time she saw Troy, which the plan was tomorrow. Unless something went completely wrong and she totally changes her mind, she was going to tell him what was on her mind tomorrow when they hung out just as tradition.

"Mmmhhmmm." Gabriella says, trying not to give off the bored tone that was reflexively laced into her voice. But almost to save her from her misery of a boring conversation with the family, she suddenly feels an arm drape around her. Her eyes look to the side and suddenly find she was staring at someone with a tan completion, with hair that was spiked up at the top and was grinning cockily.

"Hey you." He says while Gabriella squeals a little before jumping into his arms that were strong, probably just as strong as Troy's.

"Carlos!" She exclaims before he spins her around in his arms, letting her giggle a little before setting her down.

"'Bout time you showed up." Gabriella's Aunt Elvira says while crossing her arms and staring at the 6 ft. guy whose arm was around Gabriella's shoulders. She could feel the tension rising in the air as Gabriella looks from her aunt to her favorite cousin, with her aunts anger evident in her eyes.

"Sorry. The guys didn't wake up until like… an hour ago." Carlos says with his mother's Spanish accent laced into his voice, but not making it hard to understand. Elvira taps her foot lightly as Gabriella's grandmother shakes her head.

"Now Elvira, calm down." She says while walking over to her oldest grandson and grabbing his face to give him a kiss on the cheek. "How are you Carlos?"

"Great Grandma." He responds while smirking at his mother, who obviously lost the fight to her own mother. "I'm stealing Gabs… call us when dinner's ready."

Elvira steps forward as though to protest, but Maria Montez places a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Gabriella knew her mother understood, that Gabriella's head was spinning in circles, and Carlos was the closest thing to an older brother she had. He brings her shoulder with her as he places a hand up in a wave as they begin to walk towards the burgundy colored walls near the stairs.

After walking up, Gabriella finds herself in a hallway with orange paint that gave her the impression of clay. Her cousin takes her to a familiar room, where there were clothes thrown all over the floor. The carpet was tan, along with the walls that had car posters pasted everywhere, along with a couple basketball posters that Troy would be impressed with. There was also a football lying on the floor, with a small twin bed in the corner that wasn't made. Gabriella wasn't surprised. Carlos shuts the door behind him, before turning to Gabriella with a smirk on his face.

"Well don't you look hot." He says in a teasing sort of way. Gabriella suddenly remembers she wasn't with him during Thanksgiving, since against his mothers wishes; he was with his friends probably at a street race somewhere. That meant he hadn't seen Gabriella wearing tighter clothes again since before her eating disorder.

A crack of lightning illuminates the room as the house shakes from the thunder again. "Thanks. And you still look like shit." She says, referring to the white t-shirt he was wearing with grease stains and jeans. It was at that moment when Gabriella got a really good look at him. The black shadow above his lip that was hair coming in, reminding Gabriella of how Troy's got on the rare occasions like yesterday when he didn't shave. She also saw the built muscles, along with the almost black eyes that seemed to have trouble written in them. "And you smell like smoke too."

Carlos wasn't exactly what one would call, obedient. Gabriella was well aware of his life of cars, smoking, girls and being with his friends. He ditched school once in awhile, which was the complete opposite of what Gabriella ever did with her friends. But she still loved him. He was like an older brother to her, and was nice to his mother when other people weren't around. He also was extremely intelligent, and when you needed a car repair, he was your man.

"Yeah… well I just finished my pack." He says while pulling out the empty box of cigarettes and then puts them back into his pocket. Gabriella never agreed with what he did, but she didn't judge him for it either.

Gabriella smiles a little while sitting down on his unmade bed. "So what's new with you?" She asks while picking up the football that was on the floor and rolling it around in her hands.

Carlos shrugs as he rips off the dirty shirt and looks on the floor for another one. "Oh, you know. Same old shit." He says while picking up a green polo and a white wife beater. "I got a new bitch now, did you hear?"

Gabriella smirks a little, even though he shouldn't have called a girlfriend a bitch, Troy still called her that once. "Yeah, my mom told me. What's her name again?"

Carlos smiles back. "Rosa. She's feisty." He says while Gabriella rolls her eyes.

"Too much info." She says while he looks on the ground for something else after putting on the shirts.

"How's Troy boy?" Carlos asks while Gabriella's body tenses up just at the sound of his name. Carlos and Troy had met on multiple occasions, and seemed to get along pretty well. They were similar in different ways, Troy was obsessed with basketball the way Carlos was obsessed with cars. They were both looked on as gorgeous, though Gabriella was pretty sure Carlos didn't have girls on their knees the way Troy did, he still was extremely good looking.

"Fine." Gabriella says all too quickly. Carlos immediately raises his eyebrows as he grabs a pair of pants on the floor and unzips his dirty ones.

"You two dating now?" He asks while pulling down his pants and replacing them with the somewhat clean pair.

Gabriella hesitates for a moment. "It's complicated."

Carlos rolls his eyes. "How could it be complicated? You either want him or you don't."

Gabriella's mouth opens for a moment, as if to rebut to that comment. Was it really that simple? Either she wanted him or she didn't? No more thinking about how other people would feel about the situation, no more thinking about if Troy would just decide that he didn't like her anymore. No more being afraid. Was it clearly that simple, and had just been blind to the fact all along? "It can't be that easy."

Carlos sighs as he looks down at her with his black eyes. "Gabs, I don't know what the situation is, but I do know that you've been hung up on him for so long." He says in the voice that he only shows her, since it was his soft and caring side. "And dude, I've seen the way he's looked at you before. He wants you deep in the pants."

Gabriella rolls her eyes, but feels the dull throb that was occurring give a soft twitch as the thought. Something about what Carlos was saying was making her lean more towards Troy. "But that's just it. I don't want him to just do that and dump me."

Carlos shakes his head. "You're his best friend. Even _I _know that he cares about you too much for that, and I see him what, three times a year?"

She gives him a small smile as another roar of thunder erupts from outside. "It would be more if you would come visit more often!" She exclaims while he rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." He states but smiles at her still. "You're not like other girls when it comes to Bolton Gabs. You'll always come first, no matter if you fuck him or not." He states while Gabriella's eyes suddenly leave his as she stares straight again. The circles that her mind was running in were suddenly smoothing out. Something about what Carlos was saying was making everything clear to her. She suddenly felt at peace, at ease. It was almost as though Carlos had turned the light on for her making everything clear. She knew what she wanted, and there was no changing her mind now. Her eyes lift up to see that Carlos was looking towards the door. "Come on, I think I'm getting a new hubcaps since mine fell off."

Gabriella smiles a little as she stands up from his dirty bed. "Fell off during a street race?" She asks while he suddenly has a sheepish look on his face. "Figures." She says while he smirks at her. "Come on!" Her hand grabs his and leads him out of the dirty room, and downstairs to where all of the relative were, Gabriella's heart finally soaring since she had finally figured out what she wanted.

The only problem is she felt like she couldn't wait until tomorrow night to have it.

* * *

Troy Bolton was horny.

And it wasn't just a small, oh he's thinking about sex kind of thing. No, it wasn't like that at all. The organ in between his legs seemed to be throbbing, even if he wasn't hard right now. His hands were shaking slightly underneath his long sleeved navy blue long sleeved shirt with a light blue stripe going across the center of his chest. He was also wearing a white t-shirt underneath that, along with a pair of darker jeans. His sleeves were rolled up as you could see the white t-shirt at the bottom underneath the blue shirt. Troy's eyes kept blinking as he stared on the couch at the seven smaller cousins below.

How could he get horny when he was with family on Christmas Eve?

"Um… I think Gina should open one next." Troy's eyes practically roll to the back of his head as a little girl with bright blonde hair jumps up and runs to an older lady who had short brown hair that was graying. Her body. Her perfect body that seemed to be the perfect shape. Those calloused hands that would feel so rough as they moved up and down his shaft, but it would feel so damn good. Her hips pushed up against his, her head being thrown back in pleasure as she would shut her chocolate brown eyes and scream the four letter word that was his name. Why was this happening while they were opening presents with his family?

"Look Mommy!" Gina exclaims while jumping up, holding what looked like a Barbie in a swimsuit. Troy closes his eyes again, only to imagine Gabriella in that suit and him in his while they were on the beach, him on top of her pulling the strings loose. Stop it Bolton! It's Christmas Eve. Not think-about-Gabriella-in-every-sexual-way-possible Eve.

"What do you say?" His Aunt Mary asks while Troy bites his lip to cause him from letting out a groan of frustration and unsatisfied pleasure.

_My name. Gabriella needs to say my name_. "Thanks Grandma!" Gina announces as she runs over to the thin lady sitting on the floor, throwing her arms around her. His grandmother looks over the girl's shoulder and gives Troy a small wink before telling the girl she was very welcome.

Both of Troy's grandparents were extremely fond of him. Though it was never said, Troy was the favorite of the grandchildren, probably because he was the first born. Plus, Troy's grandpa, who was now sitting on a chair across from the couch Troy was sitting on with his father and uncle, had a love for basketball just like he and his father did. It was in the Bolton blood, so his grandfather and he were extremely close. The older man in the chair with brown hair that was graying turns to him and grins. He had silver glasses on, and was pretty thin. Troy tries to grin back, but just finds that his smile looked more pained than anything.

The house suddenly shakes as Troy's head immediately looks outside to see that lightning had just stricken. "Look at that storm." Lucille Bolton states while looking at the window also. "On Christmas Eve too."

"Mommy?" Another cousin with dark hair that was curled a little looks to her mother. "Is Santa gonna get struck by lightning?"

The whole not being with Gabriella was really getting to him. It was starting to eat away at him, which was probably the cause of his hormones flying through the roof right now. He was starting to get worried. If she really wanted to be with him, wouldn't it be easy for her to make a decision? Would she really take this long? Troy's stomach drops at the thought. Maybe she didn't love him the way he loved her, and just realized that all she wanted was to get Troy Bolton hooked, then she would be satisfied and move on.

"Are you ok Troy?" A voice enters his ears as he realizes that his aunt was speaking his name. He looks up to see now everyone was staring at him, concern written in their faces. His leg was shaking slightly as he could imagine he was slightly pale, with his eyes still slightly rolled back in his head. The piercing blue look to his mother, to see that she was about to stand up as Troy shakes his head slightly.

"Fine." He responds while he could hear the younger of the cousins giggling on the floor. "It just… must have been the uh… turkey or something." In a voice that was somewhat hitched.

The adults continue to look at him; just to be sure he wasn't going to throw up on his grandparent's carpet. His grandmother sighs as the rest of the adults look away from him, all except his mother and his grandfather. "I have one more for the kids…" She says and Troy looks at the floor to see that all of the younger grandchildren had gotten their presents already. It was his turn.

"I got it Mae." His grandfather says while reaching behind the chair he was in and pulling out a small red box. He smiles a little before standing up and walking to Troy, who now had every eye on him. "Merry Christmas Troy."

"I wasn't sure what to get you." His grandmother says. "But Ray knew exactly what you'd want."

Troy takes the box and smiles at the older couple. "Thank you." He says while pulling the red ribbon on top, looking down for a moment to see the burgundy stone on his right had seemed to be giving off a dim light. He then removes the top to see a shining gold basketball hoop pendent on a gold chain. It was small, and seemed to glint in the light as Troy's hand slowly picks it up.

"We won that at state my sophomore year after I scored the winning basket with ten seconds left." His grandfather says with a lazy smile on his face, remembering. "It was my good luck charm ever since. Hopefully it will come to you also."

Troy's eyes were sparkling while staring at it. He couldn't believe his grandfather would give him something this special. "Thank you so much." He says, pride swelling in his heart as he places the chain around his neck and tucks it underneath his shirt.

"Hopefully that luck will come in a seven weeks." Jack Bolton says while patting Troy on the shoulder, talking about the championship. But Troy was thinking differently. He was hoping his luck would come in the next twenty-four hours. But God, he couldn't wait that long to hear her answer. Troy needed her now, both physically and emotionally.

The Bolton family finishes up with presents, and then just sits around the fire that was roaring. Troy couldn't sit still. His mind kept flashing to Gabriella's perfect body, and him making love to her. When he wasn't thinking about that, his nerves were flying through the roof thinking about Gabriella's answer to whether she'd have him or not. It was driving him crazy.

The younger cousins were squealing a little as Troy looks to the window to see the rain coming down in sheets. The storm was kind of like his mind right now, tormented with how everything was going to turn out. He couldn't take sitting there anymore, so he gets up from the couch unnoticed to all except one and walks into the dark kitchen, watching it light up with the lightning from the window. He needed her. More then life itself. Sure he was horny tonight, but he would have given anything even if he couldn't have sex with her. He just needed her. He loved her, and nothing would ever change that.

"Some storm out there." A deep voice enters Troy's ears as he glances behind him to see the old man walking towards him. Troy smiles softly as he looks back out the window to see the rain streaming down the sides. "It's coming down like cats and dogs."

"Yeah…" Troy says, staring out into the trees that were getting battered by the wind. Troy reaches in his shirt and pulls out the pendent he was now wearing. "This means a lot to me Grandpa."

His grandfather smiles. "I'm glad you like it." He says while leaning up against the table. "It was good luck on and off the court. I met your grandmother wearing that."

Troy's eyes immediately dart from the storm to his grandfather's piercing, downing blue eyes. Neither one of his parents had the piercing blue that Troy saw in the mirror everyday. He got it from his grandfather, the drowning Bolton blue eyes that only the elite got. He was the only one of the cousins who had them, making Troy feel special when he was younger. "Really?"

The older Bolton nods slowly. "Yep. It was at a basketball game. Your mother went to a rival school across town. We had just beaten them and it was after the game, I was walking down the hallway and she was fighting with her mother on the phone. She hung up and I thought she was beautiful." He says with a distant smile on his face. "Junior year. I asked her if there was anything I could do, and she declined, but I took her out to dinner that night to keep her mind off things."

Troy had never heard this story before. He usually didn't like old stories, but this one caught his interest. Maybe it was just because his heart was soaring tonight, feeling a built up of passion that couldn't be diminished. "So… you guys dated ever since?"

His grandfather shakes his head. "No. She didn't want to be involved with the captain of the rival school's basketball team. So she kept telling me no, we couldn't be together."

Troy smiles a little. "Romeo and Juliet kind of thing?" His grandfather nods. "Why didn't you just give up then?" Asking the question that was on his mind.

"I liked her too much." He responds and stares at Troy. "She meant too much to me, so I kept perusing her. Finally, the night after the championship game which we won, the team went out to dinner to celebrate. She was there with some of her girlfriends. Once she saw me, she ran in the opposite direction, but I chased her down. I wouldn't take no for an answer, because both of us felt too strongly towards each other." He states while Troy fingers the ring on his finger, feeling the stone get hot. "And here we are now."

Troy's body was now in over drive. He didn't know what it was, but just hearing about this, made him want to run. He wanted to hop in the car and speed off to Gabriella's aunt's house, and tell her he wouldn't let her go. Never. Troy's hand was now shaking as his grandfather looks at him suspiciously. "Are you alright Troy?"

No. He wasn't alright. He wouldn't be alright. Not until Gabriella was in his arms. His hands were both shaking now as he probably looked really pale. He needed her. He needed to be with her, be touching her, and he was pretty sure he needed to be inside her. But he nods slowly, placing his hand onto the chair for support.

"Fine. I'm fine." He lies. He wasn't fine. He needed Gabriella. More then the air he was breathing. A crack of lightning illuminates the room as Troy looks to see his grandfather's worried face.

"Is everything ok?" Another voice enters the kitchen as Troy looks to see his father walking into the room, concern written in his eyes. Troy nods slowly, though he was completely lying. He wouldn't be fine until he was touching that gorgeous olive skin.

In the other room, the parents were standing up and starting to collect the cousins, yawning in the process. Troy's mom, grandmother, and aunt walk into the kitchen to also see Troy's pale face and shaking hands. "Sweetheart, you're shaking! And you're flushed!"

"Mom, I'm fine." He lies while Lucille Bolton places her hand up to his forehead to feel if he had a fever or not. The smallest cousins were peaking beyond the couch to see what the commotion was, though the other relatives were attempting to put their jackets on.

"We can let him lie down if he wants. You three don't have to go yet." His grandmother suggests, letting Troy know everyone else was leaving. No. He couldn't do that. He wasn't going to be twenty miles away from his house. He needed to be home. Scratch that, he needed to be in his second home.

"No!" Troy says a little too loudly as he clears his throat. "I mean no. It's fine. I'll just lie down in the back seat."

The adults all look to each other to see if anyone was going to protest. Troy on the other hand was still shaking. He had to be with her, and was pretty sure he was going to explode if he didn't get to her soon. "Alright… if you're sure…" Coach Bolton says.

"More than sure." Troy responds. The others look between each other as Troy walks towards the front door where the rest of the relatives were standing. Thunder rumbles outside.

After saying Merry Christmas to each relative, and thanking each other for presents, the three members of the Bolton family sprint out towards the car. Troy could feel his blue shirt getting drenched as rain pelts him, but they make it and immediately drive off. He lays in the back seat, his body shaking from the water and being under so much stress the past couple days. Everything seemed to be building up in his system right now, and he was pretty sure his insides would explode soon.

They make it back to the house while the rain continues to pelt on the car. The three of them sprint inside, Coach Bolton slamming the door behind him. "It's awful out there!" He announces as Troy grabs the railing to the stairs.

"I'm gonna go to bed." Troy states, thinking that if he went to bed now, then morning would come quicker. In past years, it would have been to get presents in the morning, but now it was to see the girl he was in love with in the afternoon.

"Are you sure you're alright sweetie?" Troy's mom asks as she places her hand on his forehead and pushes his hair back a little, the way she did when he was a little kid. He nods slowly as she lets out a soft sigh. "Alright. See you in the morning."

Troy smiles a little as he leans down to give his mom a kiss on the cheek. "Night Mom. Night Dad." He says while his father stares at him for a moment. Troy turns around and runs up the stairs. He walks down the hallway to the room with the red comforter and basketball posters that lined the walls.

He doesn't even bother taking off his clothes before he falls down onto the bed, springing back up a little. For a moment, he just lies there; face down, his nose pressed up against the red comforter. How could he need her this bad? How could one person get physically dependent on another? It was almost as if just the touch of her fingertips on his tan skin would allow him to survive.

His body turns over and stares up at the ceiling. Twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours and then he could get to her. His stomach was in complete knots just thinking about it. The heart in his chest was pounding at a rapid rate. He needed her. So badly did he need her. It was almost as though his breathing was speeding up as he continues to stare at the white ceiling. His hand twitches and suddenly it dawns on him. He didn't know if it was the story that his grandpa told him, or if it was just everything building up. The stone on his right hand seemed white hot as it burned against his skin. His left hand reaches up and fingers the basketball pendent that was around his neck. He couldn't wait twenty-four hours. He needed her now. He needed her in his arms and never let go of her. Troy Bolton was tired of waiting.

A crash of thunder rumbles the sky as it shakes the house violently. Troy stands up, blue fire raging through his eyes as he tries to contain his adrenaline. He places his ear up against the door while glancing at his alarm clock. 12:45 AM. When he was a little kid, he used to do this to see if his parents had gone to bed so he could take a look at the presents they or "Santa" had set out. Troy's hands were shaking violently as they made a chattering noise against the wood of his door. Finally satisfied that they were in bed, Troy tries to keep his emotions low as he creeps out of the room. The house was pitch black except for the lightning that kept lighting up the sky. His white socks pick certain spots that wouldn't creek as he tiptoes along the hallway.

After making it down the stairs, his adrenaline was pumping through his veins. Troy actually has to close his eyes to contain himself from yelling, the pressure was built up so high in his body. His eyes don't even bother to look at the Christmas tree to see if there were presents there. Instead he slips on his black shoes and slowly opens the front door.

This was it. Everything that had been leading up to this for so long was now on him. Troy was pretty sure he was insane at this moment. Most normal, stable people would have just waited for twenty-four hours, but Troy couldn't. He couldn't last that long without feeling her skin against his, her lips pressed up against his, or him inside her. He needed to hear her scream his name, arch her back as he proved how much he loved her. He needed Gabriella. It was officially Christmas Day, and there was nothing else he wanted. Not a basketball signed by Kobe Bryant, no clothes, not an Xbox. The only thing he ever wanted wasn't in a package. He had it all along; he was just too stupid and blind to see that was all he ever needed.

Troy takes a deep breath while he steps out the front door to see the rain pelting down on the wet grass as a strike of lightning illuminates the sky, showing Troy's fire blue eyes as they had passion seeping down from them. A smile curves onto his face as he closes his eyes for a moment. Gabriella Montez, prepare to get a Christmas you'll never forget.

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**A/N: Thanks so much for reading you guys! I haven't said it in awhile and you have no idea how much your reviews mean. Thank you so much! :)**


	31. Power of Love

The deep brown eyes were staring in the mirror back at her, tauntingly.

Her hands start from her right below her bare chest as she moves them down her smooth stomach. The stomach that was so cruel to her last year. Everything about her torso she hated, and it didn't matter if she was mostly healed or not, it was always a part of her. The rough, calloused hands travel down right above her pelvis, staring in the mirror at how hideous her body was. She would always feel that way, never thin enough, but she had worked so hard to make it at least manageable. Control, that was the problem, and always would be. Right now, she was trying to gain it in every aspect of her life.

Gabriella's eyes leave her naked reflection in the mirror and try not to look. The dark white bathroom lights up for a moment in a blue haze as lightning strikes somewhere outside. Rain was running down from the side of the fogged window as Gabriella reaches down on the floor to grab the only white towel of the three laying there that was dry. She brings her body up again to glance in the mirror, looking at the make-up that still managed to stay intact through the entire shower she had just taken. Her wet hair sends cold trickles down her back, making her body shiver a little and give her Goosebumps, for some unknown reason.

She had stayed at her Aunt's house until 10:30 PM, when she told her mother that she wanted to leave. The smaller children had fallen asleep in the upstairs rooms, since most of them would be spending the night at her house and they would open presents in the morning. Gabriella's immediate family seemed to be the only ones who wouldn't sleep over night, but for the past three years since Gabriella had gotten older, her parents stayed until around two o'clock in the morning. This year was abnormal, since she wasn't able to handle the adults just sitting and talking for much longer with out letting her mind wander to something that couldn't be taken off. Carlos saw her pain, and offered to take her home against his mother's wishes, since he was probably going off to get drunk or high somewhere after dropping her off.

A sigh erupts from her throat as she wraps the white towel around her wet body. She almost felt like she had to take a shower when she got home, from all of the thought she was having. She knew what she wanted, and that was simple. She wanted Troy Bolton. All of him, all of the time. Her hands were just shaking at the thought of what was going to happen tomorrow when she went over to his house. She would tell him how she felt, what she wanted, and see where it went from there. Nothing big would happen, since his parents would be home, but that didn't stop Gabriella from feeling the small throb in between her legs that wouldn't go away.

All night she couldn't stop thinking about Troy. As they were sitting and eating dinner, she couldn't help but think of how good it would feel to have his body pushed up against hers. How incredible his body weight on hers on the table they were eating at as her skin would stick to the wood could feel. How turned on she would get by Troy's tongue on her body as he licked the whipped cream on top of the jello off her bare skin. Everything at that dinner table made her think about making love with Troy. She wanted to feel him.

Her hand closes around the door handle after picking up all of the wet towels on the floor. She enters the quiet house, almost taunting her. It was almost as though Troy's name seemed to be echoing off the walls. She wanted him, needed him as her bare feet feel the rough surface of the carpet beneath her. Another echo of thunder stretches through the house as Troy's name echoes again. She was pretty sure she was now officially crazy. Though she always had been for Troy.

She walks into the black room that matched the rest of the house and throws the red sweater and black pants on the floor along with the rest of the clothes she was wearing earlier. The blinds on her windows were open, letting the ultraviolet lightning illuminate the room, giving off the blue effect on the walls. The shadows were imminent from the bed, the lamp and the dresser. Gabriella's body turns away from the grey rain that was pouring down the windows from her balcony as she could hear the large pitter-patter of it outside.

Her calloused hand runs though her wet, yet curly hair as she opens the white dresser drawer on top to find her pajamas. Why did tomorrow have to come so slowly? Her eyes close as her skin starts to tingle, wanting to feel Troy's against hers. She needed it, or she was pretty sure her body was going to explode. How could one person need just a touch from another this badly? Her hand was shaking slightly, as there was no rubber band on this time. She needed him, finally feeling the effects of not being with Troy. Her stomach was in knots as her head was starting to get lightheaded. Her arm was shaking as she places it on the dresser for support.

A lightning strike again as she looks up onto the wall and suddenly sees a shadow that wasn't there before. Her body freezes as panic starts to spread through her veins. The sound of the opening of the glass door fills her ears as also the hard thuds of rain on her balcony. Fear in her stomach, her body immediately turns around to the beat of the thunder booming outside as her eyes grow wide.

Standing in the doorway of the balcony was a shadow, but she knew it wasn't just any shadow. Her bare feet take one step forward, almost as though to make sure she wasn't imagining things. Another flash of lightning fills up the room as she could see his entire body. The normally light chestnut color hair was now almost black as it was matted on his head. His long-sleeved dark blue shirt was midnight black as his jeans looked jet black. Water was dripping down from his body, but that's not what Gabriella was staring at. The deep chocolate brown eyes look up to connect with the fire blue that were the color of the ocean at sunset. Passion was radiating off of his body as his golden skin was glowing with light.

Shock was sending through her body as Troy takes another step into the room, squeaking a little as he was completely soaked and the glass doors slam behind him. He stares at her for a moment before Gabriella takes another two steps forward. "Troy… What the hell…?"

She never had time to finish her sentence, for suddenly Troy's body moves forward in a sprint. Comprehension wasn't in her vocabulary as Troy's wet arm reaches out and grabs her smooth, dry skin. Gabriella feels a sudden ice liquid squish up against her warm white towel as Troy's hands grab her arms, pulling her to him. The brown orbs grow wide for a moment, before Troy's hand grabs the back of her wet black locks and pulls her head to her, connecting their lips together.

The electricity from the lightning that strikes again was no match compared to the waves that were traveling from their lips. Gabriella's eyes shut immediately, feeling her legs give out as her hands grab the side of his wet, smooth face. It was no matter though, because Troy's soaked arms grab the bottom of her legs, so they were now wrapped around his waist. The tongue that matched Troy's entire body shoves itself into Gabriella's mouth in a dominant way, sending more sparks through her body as she tries to pull his face even closer to her, if that was possible.

This was it, everything she had wanted that night was now cupped in her hands as Troy's feet quickly carry her to the white wall. She feels a slight pain on her back as his body slams hers up against the wall while their tongues continue to explore the other's mouth again. Troy finally pulls away from the kiss as his hands run down her sides, giving her shivers that no one else could produce.

"What are you…?" Gabriella starts to ask while Troy's lips meet hers again, in a strong passionate kiss without placing his tongue inside her mouth. Her eyes close again as his pelvis was pushing up against hers. She could feel the rough wet jeans against the sensitive area as her white towel wasn't long enough to protect her from that. The dull throb that was present earlier was now a full on nerve spasm as Troy pulls apart again.

"Don't stop me Gab." He begs with blue fire burning in his eyes. They close again while his wet lips connect with the side of her face. He places open mouth kisses down her jaw line, as her eyes close a moan erupts in the room, coming from her throat. "I need you…I want you… just don't tell me this is wrong." His husky voice vibrates against her skin as his wet head slips into her neck. She leans the other way to give him better access as he gently starts to suck. Gabriella's hands were beginning to claw at his back, while moans were escaping from her mouth at the sensation of his rough jeans rubbing against her bare skin. "I can't stop thinking about you." He says as he lifts his head to look into her eyes. His were begging as his voice was shaking. "Please Gabi… I need you."

She couldn't remember the last time he had actually called her Gabi. He usually only called her Gab, or Gabriella. It had to have been years, but it showed Gabriella how desperate he was right now. A small smile curls on her lips as she strokes the back of his wet hair while leaning to him, her lips millimeters way from hers so her hot breath was again them. "I told you one day you'd walk in on me naked."

That was it. Troy's body slams her up against the wall again as their lips connect. Gabriella's hands were running through his wet hair as his were furiously running around her back. Troy pushes her a little against he wall to get the momentum to turn her around and quickly walk towards the bed. He gently lays her down, the white towel creeping up a little bit as he climbs up onto the bed with her, making it bounce a little. His blue eyes were radiating with passion as he smirks down at her. "And I told you I'd be lucky that day."

Their lips connect again in a heated kiss as Troy's hands run down her sides again. Gabriella trembles beneath him as she could feel his lips curve into a smirk against hers. Her hands suddenly drop to where his torso almost ended and creep up underneath his blue shirt, and also his white undershirt to feel his cold skin on his stomach. He groans a little as Gabriella smiles herself, feeling fireworks fly through her body.

This was what she always wanted, and she was finally getting it. Their lips moved together as one as his tongue was exploring her mouth again. She didn't care if they had only kissed one time before this. Years of sexual tension had finally exploded as she couldn't keep away from him. "Troy…" He voice says as he pulls away from her lips and leans down to leave light red marks against her neck.

Her hands were trembling a little as she grabs the bottom of his midnight blue shirt. His body suddenly tenses. Oh no. Is this not what he wanted? Was she about to make a fool of herself because she thought he wanted sex and he really didn't? Her body tenses also as she gasps a little. She just completely blew everything. But then Troy's body relaxes again as his jeans rub up against her pelvis that was now protected by her white towel. Gabriella moans in pleasure again but was still nervous. "It's ok…" He whispers while lacing her rough and calloused hand with his smooth one. "Don't think, just feel…"

Gabriella nods slowly as she lets out a small whimper. Her hands resume what they were doing as she pulls the blue shirt upwards slowly. It was as though everything was in slow motion as Troy lifts up and lets her pull it over his head. Her eyes stare at the white undershirt, where you could see the hint of the glowing tan skin underneath since it was soaked. Gabriella also lifts up the white shirt and throws it aside, leaving it forgotten.

Her nails run up his bare and sticky chest slowly while Troy closes his eyes and trembles at the sensation. When they reach his neck, she pulls him back down so their lips connect together again. His body moves up and down, trying to cause friction against hers. It was working, for the pulsating organ between her legs felt like it could have been on fire. A golden chain with a pendent at the end falls into the cleavage that the white towel was giving her. Her hand comes low to grab it, finding the necklace unfamiliar, but fingering the golden basketball hoop that was small.

"It was my grandpa's." He says while biting on her ear. "He said it gave him luck."

She assumes that he had only gotten it a few hours ago while she kisses his bare shoulder, letting her tongue escape and driving Troy crazy. She could feel the bulge beneath his wet jeans was trying to burst through as she smiles against his skin. "Maybe it's giving you me."

Troy smirks a little against her neck as he pulls back up again and stares into her eyes. "I hoped it would." She could feel passion burning from her own as Troy leans down to connect their lips again. Thunder rolls outside along with the lightning that was flashing, showing off Troy's perfectly sculpted arms and chest. Her hands run over his body as he trembles, but then she realizes that he was shivering. It had to be the rain water that was sticking to his body.

"You're shaking." She whispers while Troy's head switches to the other side to kiss her lips harder. His body was vibrating against hers, giving her shock waves, but it scared Gabriella. The last thing she wanted was for him to get sick, or hypothermia. "Troy you're freezing."

His teeth were chattering a little beneath his lips as they were still connected to Gabriella's soft ones. "Don't worry about me." He whispers back, in a sexy way.

"No… Troy… you're cold…" She says while running her hands up and down his bare, defined arms, feeling his hairs stand up beneath it. Troy shivers slightly again, a mixture of the cold and Gabriella's touch.

His thumbs make circles on her soft arms while he leans towards her lips again. "Heat me up then." He whispers huskily and he smiles softly, making Gabriella's throb start to head towards unbarable.

Her hands travel away from his chest as she grabs his brown belt. Slowly, she unhooks it while Troy's hand was now on her thigh, beneath the white towel. She pulls it off and throws it with the other clothes that were forgotten. Their bodies seem to be grinding to the beat of the thunder outside as lightning was flashing like a light show. Each time it illuminated the room, giving the sensual appeal that made Gabriella need him even more.

Her body arches up a little as Troy's hand was moving up and down her bent knee, since both of her legs were now straddling him from below. His lips switch sides again, while the hand on her leg was creeping upward. Her opening was now on fire as Troy's hand was teasing her by moving towards the inside of her thigh, then back out again. Her hands were slowly trying to unbutton the wet button on his jeans, as she could hear his breath was hitched with each time he came up for a breath. But then his lips would crash back down onto Gabriella's, probably causing a bruise in the morning, unable to get enough of her.

Gabriella pulls down the zipper of his jeans as she tries to pull them down his legs, but they were sticking from being wet. Troy's hands leave Gabriella's body, making her whimper in disappointment. Troy smirks sexily for a moment down at her, making Gabriella flash back to when he was younger. How innocent he was as just her best friend when he was nine years old. Now, he was so sexy, and as the lightning strikes outside, she could see the shadows of his muscles as he places one hand above Gabriella's shoulder, while the other one was helping Gabriella's calloused hands pull down the jeans that were starting to stiffen. He kicks them off, Gabriella not even realizing that he had kicked off his shoes and socks before. Her legs wrap around the back of his calves, attempting to pull him back down again, but Troy doesn't move.

"Troy…" She begs, the throb from unsatisfied pleasure was pulsating. She needed him right now, and as it was evident through the tent on his black and light blue boxers, he needed her just as badly. Her hands reach up to grab his pelvis, making him moan a little, but he wouldn't give in. The red stone on his right hand was almost glowing with a scarlet light. "Please…"

Passion was erupting from the drowning ocean eyes as his right hand slowly leans down. Shock waves ripple through her body as his hand brushes against her right breast, making Gabriella's back arch a noise of pleasure come from her throat. He slowly pulls at the white towel that was around her body still, as Gabriella's eyes grow wide in shock. Her immediate reflex was to grab his hand to stop him. No. He couldn't see her naked. They could just get it done without him having to look at her body.

Their eyes connect as Gabriella's were begging with him. "Please Troy." She begs as her breath was coming in spasms, since he had sucked it all out of her.

"Let me Gab…" He begs back as his chest was heaving up and down.

Her head moves from side to side as their eyes never leave each other. "No… just do it underneath. It will work."

Neither one wanted to break the stare as neither wanted to loose. Troy bends down so his hips were pushed against hers, so she could feel the bulge of him. "You feel that?" He was hard, and Gabriella knew he wanted her more then anything right now. His hand doesn't leave her breast as he places a small kiss onto the side of her neck. "It's just me…Just Troy. I'm not gonna judge you. Just let go." He whispers in her ear. "You trust me right?"

Gabriella bites her bottom lip as Troy continues to rub himself up against Gabriella, each downward stroke drawing out a moan from her throat. She finally opens her mouth, only to gasp in breath as she nods, the hand that was stopping his letting go. "… more then anyone…" She says as Troy moves his body down two more times.

He slowly gets up so he was looking at her again. The drowning blue leave her deep brown as his hand slowly pulls apart the white towel. His other hand grabs her back softly and lifts her up, to pull the white cloth away as he tosses it to the side. Troy's eyes grow wide as he stares down at her completely nude body. Her immediate reaction is to cross her hands over her chest. He couldn't look at her naked. But after she does so, Troy's hand grabs her wrists, sending more waves through her body. He pulls her arms apart and pin them over her head, holding them with his left hand. Gabriella's breathing was quick as his eyes look over her entire body in awe. "No…" Troy says as Gabriella's arms try to fight his hand. She was whimpering slightly, feeling all of the pressure from last year on her as Troy stared at her completely exposed body. This was everything she had ever feared, yet Troy didn't stop.

"Troy…" She begs as Troy shakes his head that his hair was still matted from the water. He thought she was ugly. She was too fat. Her blubber hung as it was completely evident to Troy. That's why he couldn't stop staring.

His right hand grabs her left arm's bicep as his left hand does the same with her other one. His head immediately dives for her stomach as her back arches, feeling his tongue against her skin as she moans again. "You're so…" He says before kissing her again. "…fucking… gorgeous." He whispers, letting his voice vibrate against her smooth skin.

Gabriella shakes her head as she gasps for breath again while Troy's tongue dips down into her bellybutton that also held her ring. "No I'm not…" She responds as Troy's kisses leave a trail of fire up her stomach. Gabriella wasn't fighting anymore as he lets go of her arms, letting her rough calloused hands plunge into his hair that was starting to get even more matted down. His head dips further as his tongue gently licks her clitoris, making Gabriella moan loudly. Waves of pleasure shoot from the impact spot as his tongue dips lower to lick her folds a little. Sweat was collecting on their bodies as Gabriella's breathing was completely off the charts. His tongue creeps back up again as Gabriella whimpers to beg him to go back. Her hands pull him up so his mouth was right above her left breast. She was getting wetter by the touch.

"Fuck Gabriella. Yes you are." He whispers as his mouth suddenly bends down and begins to suck on her breast. Gabriella's throat erupts a small scream at the sensation.

"Troy!" She moans as his other hand begins to massage the opposite one. Fire was shooting through her opening as moans kept erupting from her mouth. Troy then switches while Gabriella's pelvis was rubbing up against Troy's bare abs, increasing the sensation. Noises she had never known she could produce were coming from her mouth as Troy gently bites down at her erect nipple.

His head comes up again and Gabriella whimpers again, trying to pull his head back down. But he was too strong for her. His lips come up to hers again and connect them while the rain continues to beat down on the windows. Gabriella's legs hook onto Troy's again as she unexpectedly flips him over so he was on his back. Troy's eyes grow wide for a moment in amusement at the action, Gabriella smiling sexily at the control she was finally getting. Her thin body slides down Troy's sweaty one as she plants kisses across his bare chest, pausing to nip at his nipples. Her eyes look up to see that he shuts his own and pushes his body up against hers.

Gabriella reaches the hem of his boxers and slowly grabs them. Troy's chest was gleaming with sweat while the lightning was illuminating it. She slowly pulls the black and blue fabric down all the way and throws them to where every other piece of his clothing was. Her rough, calloused hands run up his perfectly sculpted legs, feeling the hair rise as she reaches his hips to see he was completely hard and sticking straight up.

She smiles a little as her head bends down and her lips gently touch his tip. A groan erupts from his mouth as her tongue slowly slides down him. Her name was being echoed off the walls as Troy's hands were now plunged in her hair, guiding her. Her eyes look up to see his were closed at the sensations she was giving him. She could feel his body stiffen and knew exactly what was coming next, expecting to feel a liquid in her mouth at any moment.

"I can't take this anymore." Troy announces in a moan as he pulls Gabriella's head up so he couldn't cum. Gabriella stares at him in shock, his chest heaving up and down. Her stomach completely drops as she realizes what was happening. He didn't want her. He probably finally realized this was a mistake, and he wouldn't do anything with her. Immediately tears burn in her eyes, but events take an unexpected turn again. Troy suddenly grabs her arms and pulls her to his chest, flipping her body over so she was now underneath him. His lips violently attack hers as his hands were running down her bare stomach.

"What…" She says confused into his mouth as Troy's hand that was on her side falls down and reaches for something on the ground. His head leaves her lips and trails his tongue in open mouth kisses down her neck until he seemed to have found what he was looking for in his wet jeans.

"I can't take it Gab…I need you now…" He says in a husky voice as she finally understood. Troy's hand brings back up a green package as relief spreads over Gabriella's body.

He kneels up and rips open the package. Troy's hands were shaking as he pulls out the object inside and reaches down towards his erect member. Gabriella's hands that were trembling also grab his as their eyes connect. She slowly grabs the rubber as she then places it at the tip of him and rolls the latex up his shaft, making Troy moan loudly from the stimulation. Once it was fully on, Troy leans down again and connects their lips one more time before lifting his head up. The deep dark chocolate brown meet the drowning ocean piercing blue as no words were said. They knew each other too well. He didn't even have to ask if she was ready, he just knew.

Troy's nods slightly as Gabriella's legs widen a little. Their eyes never leave each other as he pushes himself into her wetness. Gabriella's throb suddenly explodes as she grabs his back, digging her nails into them while moaning. She could hear Troy above her as he gently pushes her back down. His lips find hers again while he slowly pumps himself into her.

The room fills with their voices as Gabriella never felt anything like this before. Lightning was traveling through her body as he pushes himself deeply into her, showing her how much he really loved her. Gabriella's head was thrown back as her hands were running up his bare chest. Their lips connect again as Troy picks up the pace a little. Sweat was seeping from their bodies with passion mixed in as this is what Gabriella always wanted. Nothing more, just him.

"Tell me you need me." Troy says in her in ear in a husky voice while she could feel her body starting to climax.

"I need you." She responds while gripping his back tighter. "Say it back." She demands as Troy smirks against her skin.

"I fucking need you more then life itself." He responds, making Gabriella tremble.

The pressure was building where he was pushing into her. "Troy…"

"Gabriella." He says her full name as he looks up at her one last time. Their lips connect once more in a heated kiss, muffling their moans. Troy's head looks up again as their eyes connect one more time, passion erupting through both. Troy pushes himself in her with one last hard thrust, making her walls close around him as the pressure reaches its peak.

"TROY!" She screams his name as suddenly her head was thrown back. Her eyes shut as she breaks the stare and an orgasm ripples through her body. The blood rushes in her ears as her hands desperately grip his back. Pleasure waves shock through as stars explode in her vision. Love was radiating in the room as Gabriella hears Troy's voice yell her own name. Her back arches and pushes up against him.

The feeling suddenly slips from her as her back gives out on her. She falls and feels Troy's body collapses on top of her. Both of them were panting, as Gabriella was also whimpering a little. Her head moves to the side as she could feel the tickle of Troy's soaked hair on her bare chest. Neither one of them could move as they had both sucked the life out of each other. Gabriella shuts her eyes while desperately gasping to get her breath back.

Finally, Troy's head lifts up from her as the blue meet the brown. That was it. They could never go back. They would never go back to being just best friends. They were now involved with each other on such a higher level. And she knew she never wanted to go back. Gabriella's hands reach up and grab the side of his face, running them over his matted down hair as he closes his eyes. "Shit Gabriella."

Gabriella laughs a little as she could feel life falling back into her slowly. She was still panting along with Troy, but she could now move. Sweat was rolling off both of their bodies as Troy finally pulls himself out of Gabriella. As he does, she could feel the inside of her legs were already sore. Neither one of them had ever felt something like that, and probably would never feel something that good with anyone else.

He rolls off of her and lays his head down onto the pillow that hers was on. Their eyes were still connected as his hand slowly reaches up and touches the side of her face, moving his thumb up and down caressing her cheek. He leans towards her and places a soft kiss onto her lips, probably no energy to do anything else. "Explain to me…" He says in between gasps. "…why we haven't been doing that all along?"

Gabriella giggles a little as she scoots closer to him. His hand drops from her cheek and lets his arm wrap around her body, letting their sticky skin touch each other. Her head was under his chin, pressed up against his chest so she could listen to his heart beat, which was in perfect time with her own. Her bare leg wraps around his as she presses another kiss onto his chest. He then kisses the top of her sticky forehead. In the distance, Gabriella could hear a door close downstairs. Her eyes shut as she realizes it must have been her parents, finally getting home. Neither she nor Troy says anything as the footsteps travel up the stairs. His thumb was making circles on her smooth arm as she heard another door shut, telling that her parents had just went to bed.

The rain continues to batter on the window outside, but the thunder was now faint in the distance. The lightning glows a little in the room, but not at the intensity it was at before. Gabriella's head looks up to see that Troy's eyes were half closed now. She kisses his chest again and feels his arm adjust a little, letting her know he was still awake.

Her long thin finger draws an imaginary circle around his peck. "You don't know…" She whispers after a long moment of silence. "…how long I've waited for that."

Troy smirks a little as he glances down at her. His body moves so he was lying on his back and her head was now resting on his chest. "I think I have an idea." He whispers back with his eyes opening and closing. She could tell he was fighting sleep. "Cuz I have too." Gabriella smiles as she nuzzles her face against his chest again. "Oh… and Gab?"

Gabriella looks up to see his eyes were now closed. "Hmmm?"

A lazy smile drapes across Troy's face. "Merry Christmas."

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**A/N: So, I'm extremely nervous about this chapter. I've added and taken out stuff about three times, trying to make it perfect. I'd been waiting to write this probably the day I started writing this story. I haven't done a REAL chapter like this since Time Changes Everything, so I'm extremely nervous. I hope it didn't disappoint you. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! You guys are incredible!**


	32. Crazy For You

**A/N: I know this chapter is extremely long, but I just couldn't find a place to stop or things to take out. Thank you so much for reading and leaving me your reviews, it means the world. So thanks and like I said, this chapter is kinda long and boring, but try not to fall asleep during it! Thank you so much!**

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The insides of her thighs were burning in pain. Her skin was sticky and a little itchy from the sweat that had been collected on her body. Her black curly hair that was wet before was probably sticking up in places that she never even knew could bend that way. Her lips were bruised and a little swollen, as there were teeth marks across her entire body. Her butt muscles were also strained as her eyes were slightly swollen from being so tired, only gaining about two hours of sleep. But would she trade it all away even if it meant not lying in Troy's arms at that very moment?

Never.

Gabriella's eyes flutter open. The room was still dark; giving off an occasional bluish glow since lightning would strike about every fifteen minutes. Light rain was matting "pat" noises against the huge window. The heat of the body next to hers was radiating into her own skin. Gabriella's eyes focus slowly as she could feel Troy's thumb drawing invisible circles on the bare skin of her arm. He obviously wasn't asleep, which was surprising because usually it was the guys who ran out of energy faster then the girls. But Gabriella couldn't help the fact that Troy sucked the life out of her mere hours before.

Troy's arm shifts as little as Gabriella lets out a small sigh. The digital clock on the nightstand said it was four in the morning. Her mind still couldn't wrap around the fact that a little over two hours ago, she had gotten her wish. The wish she had since she first fell in love with Troy. She wanted to be with him, all of him, and couldn't believe where she was at this moment. It was like she was living in a story book, and was waiting for someone to turn the page to say 'the end'. But this wasn't a story book. This was life, and right now she felt pretty good about it.

"Hey…" A voice says softly as Gabriella was almost taken by surprise. Her head rubs against his chest a little as she look up to see Troy's crystal blue eyes were staring at the ceiling blankly. For once, she couldn't read the emotion that was written on his face. His tan, smooth features were blank. The chestnut brown hair was now light again as it stuck up a little and was it places Gabriella was pretty sure weren't meant to be. There were purple lines under his eyes. But his skin was glowing like he was holy, making Gabriella's mouth smile, since she put that glow there.

"Hey yourself." She says while he chuckles a little and attempts to bring her body closer to his, but it wasn't even possible. Her skin seemed to be molded against his as she leans up and tries to connect their eyes, but Troy still wasn't looking at her. He was just staring at the ceiling and Gabriella desperately wanted to know what he was thinking about. "Haven't slept?"

Troy moves his head slightly as if to say no. "I can't. I can't stop thinking." He says while his strong arm tightens his grip on her body. Thinking? About what?

"Don't think too hard… or you'll hurt yourself." She says with a small smile on her face as Troy's mouth smirks a little.

"Thanks Gab." He says sarcastically as her head is lifts up and then drops back down again as Troy's chest lets out a sigh. Her finger gently slides to the center of his abs and draws an invisible mark on with her nail. She didn't even notice what she was drawing, but her fingers were moving in the shape of a "G". "Can I ask you something?"

Gabriella's cheek was pressed up against his peck as she turns her head slightly and nods, letting her nose rub up against the golden skin. Troy's arm that was around her shoulder moves up and his hand grabs the back of her head, intertwining his fingers with her midnight black hair that now looked more like Chad's afro. "Mmmhhmmm." She responds with her voice muffled against his muscles.

"Why'd you let me?" He asks. That's all he needed to say, because Gabriella knew exactly what he meant. In reality, the question was, "What changed your mind?"

Her forehead moves away from his chest bringing her lips closer. She gently presses an open mouth kiss onto his skin. Troy closes his eyes as her bottom lip drags across the softness of it. "Because even though I had doubts, it all circled back to one thing. I care too much to just not be with you." She says while hearing Troy groan a little as Gabriella's tongue grazes the edge of his nipple.

"You're trying to kill me." He whispers, probably remembering that her parents were just down the hall. His other arm wraps around so both hands grab her bare hips and bring up. Her legs slip down his sides as she straddles his chest and finally his eyes meet hers. Wanting was being generated from them, but Gabriella could tell his body was physically too tired to do anything right now, though she was pretty sure she'd be up for round two if given the chance.

"No…" She responds, giggling a little afterwards and biting her bottom lip innocently. Troy's hand reaches to the back of her head and brings it down so their lips reconnect in a slow, sensual kiss. Gabriella's hand runs down the bare skin and Troy shivers a little. The purple sheet that was covering Gabriella's back was slipping downwards as Troy's tongue slowly slips inside her mouth. Gabriella smiles a little as she realizes he must not have any energy to quicken the pace of it.

"Bullshit." He whispers after Gabriella's pulls away slowly. She bites her bottom lip again while Troy leans up and nuzzles his nose with hers a little. "But if I have to die, that's the way I want to go."

Gabriella giggles again while her skin was tingling at Troy's hands that were moving up and down her bare sides. "From over-sexed?" She asks while Troy smirks up at her.

"Only if you're holding the knife." He whispers against her lips while Gabriella smiles and closes her eyes to feel the soft press of his lips against hers again. This time, his lips squeeze her bottom one multiple times before pulling away. Neither one say anything as their eyes connect again. But then Gabriella's head rests back onto his chest while the now extremely sore organ was beginning to pulsate a little from being straddled over this gorgeous body. "You alright?" He asks as Gabriella's head nods a little.

"Yeah…" She responds as she closes her eyes, never wanting to let go from this moment. "I just… don't want this to end." She responds while opening her eyes to the Satin-clock that said it was now four-thirty. Troy would have to leave soon if he wanted to be undetected by either one of their parents.

"Me neither." Troy whispers and gently rolls her over so she was now on the bottom of him. Gabriella's legs fall from Troy's side, since it was too painful for her to keep them wrapped around his waist since they had been so passionate and hard a few hours ago. His head falls into the crook of her neck as she could feel his soft self against her leg. Hope leaves her after assuming that she had completely worn Troy out. The thought of distracting him by sex completely leaves her. She just didn't want him to go. Never.

His lips press up against her neck four times as Gabriella's arms were wrapped around his neck. The strong muscular arms were around her back as he tries to pull her as close to him as humanly possible. "What happened… was incredible." She whispers while he kisses her neck again.

"I know… God I don't want to go…" Troy groans as his head look sideways to the clock. "Fuck family…"

"Troy!" Gabriella exclaims almost as if to make him feel bad and he chuckles a little.

Suddenly, a noise creeks in the distance and Troy's lips stop dancing around Gabriella's neck. Her eyes immediately shut as her stomach flips. Please don't be her dad. Please don't open the door. If he caught them in here, naked, Troy would never be allowed in her sight again. She was pretty sure Troy had stopped breathing as another creek echoes, followed by a flush and then a door shutting.

Gabriella lets out a breath of relief as Troy's body seems to relax also. His head suddenly comes up to full view so the passion was visible in his eyes. "I should probably go before my mom freaks out. She thought I was dying last night…" He explains as Gabriella smiles.

"You were dying?" She asks while Troy smiles back down at her.

"Without you." He whispers as their lips connect once again.

Gabriella savors every moment that their lips touch until he finally pulls apart. Slowly, he unravels his arms around her body and then slides to the side of the bed. He sits on the edge while reaching down for what looked like his black and blue boxers. Gabriella, who was still lying in the bed where Troy left her, feels an air of coldness without his touch. Her body shivers a little as Troy's hands slide the stiff cotton onto his body. "Shit…" He mumbles.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asks in a strained whisper. Her hands pull up the purple sheet so it was covering her exposed chest as she sits up. He glances back and holds up his jeans, which were as stiff as he was last night from the rain water. Gabriella giggles as she points towards her white dresser. "Bottom drawer, I think there's a pair of your basketball shorts and a gray sweatshirt."

Troy raises his eyebrows at her while smirking. "Wearing my clothes now?"

She shrugs a little. "They're more comfortable."

He smiles at her as the weight shifts off the bed. His perfectly tan, muscular legs carry him over to her dresser, Gabriella staring in awe the whole way. His body was perfect. Even if his hair was sticking up everywhere and his eyes had huge purple and black bags underneath them, he was still so sexy. He opens the drawer as quietly as he could, and pulls out the articles of clothing Gabriella suggested. Gabriella lies back down, forgetting the sheet and letting it fall over her stomach, completely exposing her breasts again.

Troy's eyes grow wide as he stops at the bed. He places the clothes on the side as he then sits back down again. Gabriella's reflexive reaction is to cross her arms over her chest, but Troy's hand grabs her arm to keep her from moving. "God Gabriella." He whispers. His head leans down as he places it on her bare stomach, making Gabriella's eyes close. "I wish you could see what I see." He whispers while placing a small kiss onto her bare skin, sending sparks across her body.

"I'm trying." She whispers as Troy presses another kiss to it and then sits up, staring into her eyes with love. "But it's hard…"

"I know." He whispers back while then leaning down, connecting their lips again.

Troy finally manages to pull on his sweatshirt and shorts, but continues to sit on the bed. His hand was now on Gabriella's cheek, caressing it in a perfect way since she was sitting up now. Her head leans into it as a smile plays onto his perfect lips. "You have to go." She whispers, though that was the furthest thing she wanted him to do.

"I know." He whispers back again as his forehead leans against hers while he grabs the back of her neck. "You're still coming over tonight right? I mean… you don't have to…"

"No… I'm coming." Gabriella says in a defiant way.

Troy smirks at her happily. "I'll call you. Or be texting you the whole time. And the second they leave, your ass is getting back in my arms." He says while leaning towards her lips and connecting them again, for one final, slow, sensual kiss.

"Ok…" Gabriella whispers as Troy finally pulls away from her. Her body feels cold again as he stares back at her while gathering his clothes and walking towards the glass doors. The rain seems to have subsided as Troy opens the door. "Bye Troy…" She whispers, not aware if he could hear her or not.

Troy smiles one last time. He places his first three fingers up to his lips. Gabriella could see the gold ring on his hand had now turned full scarlet, never to be dimmed again. His hand pushes out towards her as he blows her a kiss and then walks out of the doors. Gabriella continues to watch him until his head disappears from sight. A sigh erupts from her throat as she then falls back onto the bed and shuts her eyes, letting the emotions from what happened in the last six hours fall down onto her. A silent, yet happy tear slips down her face, knowing this was everything she ever wanted.

* * *

Why wouldn't they just leave?

Time seemed to be standing still and taunting him. He was sitting at the dinning room table, staring at the clock on the wall. His foot was tapping impatiently as an eruption of laughter overtakes the table. He lets out a long, obnoxious sigh that couldn't be heard from anyone else since they were all too focused on themselves right now. His tan skin seemed to be radiating with life, a complete one-eighty from yesterday. Yet, he still wasn't satisfied, because his mother's side of the family wouldn't get out of the house.

After leaving Gabriella's, he had gotten home and snuck back in the house, undetected. He slept for about three and a half hours, and then took a shower immediately to wash off the dried rain water on his skin, though Troy almost didn't want to take one for he would be washing off the touch of Gabriella. He practically now had a spring in his step, which took his mother and father by surprise since yesterday he was "sick". Now he didn't think he had ever been happier in his life.

On that note, Troy's thigh suddenly vibrates. His eyes grow wide a little as he glances across the table to see that his grandmother was smiling at him, and then turns to her daughter to say something. Troy whips out his phone and smirks.

_Just got home. Mom said I can leave at anytime._

His mom's side of the family was a lot smaller than his father's side, though not everyone was there. His mother's sister with her husband and two eight year old twin girls were there. Her brother who was divorced, but had his oldest son whom was ten years old and adored Troy, trying to imitate everything he did. And then there was his two grandparents, with his Grandmother who almost thought he was the most sweet and innocent child ever. Little did she know that Troy snuck out and had passionate and hot long-awaited sex with his best friend last night.

"Troy… guess what?!" The boy, named Michael, asks as Troy smirks down at him. The guy was cute, but sometimes he was obnoxious and Troy sometimes just needed his space.

"What?" He asks while the adults were talking about gas prices.

"I scored two baskets last week!" He exclaims while Troy couldn't help but chuckle. He could score two baskets in two minutes.

"That's great…" Troy says distantly, thinking about the way Gabriella's skin glowed in the blue light last night.

"You promise to come to one of my games this year right?" Michael exclaims as Troy suddenly feels him rub the annoyed part of Troy. Though he was trying not to let anything get him down, not the day after the best night of his life.

"Uh… whatever you say man." Troy says while glancing up at the clock again. How could this be taking this long? Couldn't they just leave?

It wasn't like Troy was expecting another hot sex session tonight. Actually, he wasn't planning on it at all. He just needed to be with her, and couldn't help that she was the only thing on his mind right now. He had broken up with Olivia less then a week ago. Was he a complete man-whore for messing around with someone he was in love with a week after breaking up with Olivia?

"Troy… sweetheart, can you help me in the kitchen?" Lucille asks as the piercing blue eyes immediately shoot to his father who was smiling at him softly. His stomach was starting to turn. Oh no. If his mom wanted to see him in the kitchen, that usually meant she wanted to talk to him about something. His stomach sinks even further. Did she know? Did she know he snuck out to have sex last night? She didn't seem any different this morning, Troy was just extremely paranoid.

"Uh… yeah sure…" He responds while standing up slowly from the table.

"I'll come too!" Michael exclaims as Troy's mom shakes her head a little.

"That's ok Michael. I just need Troy." She says while Troy slowly walks past his mother. He could say he went out for a run. Yeah. That could work. He went for a run at midnight in the heat of a thunderstorm while he was sick and was gone for five hours. Cuz that sounded believable.

He walks into his kitchen with his legs practically shaking. Troy turns around and looks to see his mother walking into the room towards the refrigerator. He was just waiting for her to turn around and scream asking him what the hell he was doing with Gabriella last night. Troy looks down at his red Abercrombie t-shirt with a white undershirt underneath and jeans to see that his body was shaking underneath. Play it cool Bolton. Just play it cool.

"So… is Gabriella with her family today?" She asks casually. Troy's heart stops beating.

Fuck. He was busted.

"Uh…" He says, stuttering and feeling his voice was a lot higher then normal. "She uh… she was… but um… she just texted me. I guess… She's home now…" He manages to get out while scratching the back of his neck nervously. Troy also sniffles a little, feeling condensation building up in his nose. Probably from being out in the rain last night.

"Oh… well that's nice." She says while pulling out what looks like a frozen French silk pie from the freezer. She then grabs an extremely large knife from the counter and Troy's eyes grow wide for a moment. That was probably going right though his body. She would murder him. He could see it now. Her hands grab a pair of hot pads after placing the knife down as she grabs the pie. "Well… why don't you give her a call and have her come if that's ok with her family."

Troy's mouth practically drops. What? No knives, she wanted her to come over? Troy's heart starts beating faster. "Uh… what?"

His mom laughs a little as another pair of footsteps enter the room. "I was just checking to see if you needed any help Lucille." Troy's grandmother's voice fills the room while Troy's heart was still beating faster.

"We're fine Mom." His mother says while glancing at Troy. "Go ahead, I'd love to see her."

Troy didn't have to be told twice. He whips out the phone in his pocket and runs towards the family room, trying not to be rude. The Christmas tree was sparkling in multiple colors against the grey window. It wasn't raining, but it looked like it could downpour any minute. Troy didn't even know his fingers could move this fast until he places the phone up to his ear and waits impatiently.

"I can't stop thinking about you." A smooth and sexy voice fills his ears on the other line as Troy almost has to bite his tongue to keep himself from producing a groan in wanting.

"God you have no idea." He says quietly, glancing in the kitchen to see that his mom and his grandmother were pointing towards him. Troy immediately turns his back to them and closes his eyes. "Get your ass over here. My mom gave it a go even though everyone's still here. Fuck I need you Gab."

She giggles a sweet angelic laugh on the other side of the phone. "Eager aren't we?"

Troy places a hand on the wood surrounding the brick on the fireplace. "You tend to have that effect on me."

He could almost picture her smiling brightly with her white teeth. "Ok… I'll be over in a few. Try to keep yourself calm." She says while Troy smirks and hears her hang up on the other line.

"Is Gabriella coming over?" Troy's grandmother asks as he walks back into the kitchen. He could feel a blush burn to his cheeks. He nods a little, knowing that practically everyone in his family knew who Gabriella was, since they were such close friends. "Goodness I love her." She exclaims while Troy feels a lazy smile slip onto his face. So did he, so did he.

After walking back into the dinning room where everyone else was, Troy's eyes were now glued on the clock. He begins tapping his foot nervously again, feeling the increase of his heartbeat for the millionth time that night. He didn't even notice at first the little boy next to him was talking until he had finished his sentence. "What are you staring at?" Michael asks while looking at the wall.

"Uh… nothing." Troy responds while trying to put a small smile on his face. Michael grins back as Troy closes his eyes, reliving the feeling of being inside Gabriella last night. Mrs. Bolton pulls out the pie and they eat dessert, Troy barely eating anything in anticipation for the girl coming. Suddenly, a ringing fills the air as Troy immediately jumps up from his seat, banging his knee on the table silencing the adults as they all stare at him. "Fu…dge!" Troy announces as his mother and father both glare at him before he could get the original word out. "The fudge in the pie was delicious." He says while biting his lip from cursing again from the pain.

'Fudge?' His aunt whispers while Troy tries his best not to roll his eyes at how stupid they were. "I didn't think anyone was missing from the family." She exclaims while looking around the table as though to count and see if everyone was there.

"Well… it's technically another." His mother says while nodding at Troy in approval. That was his cue, so he immediately turns in the opposite direction and sprints towards the door, hearing Michael say in the background, "Where is he going?"

Troy didn't care. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before grabbing the handle and opening up the door. His breath was suddenly caught in his throat as a black haired beauty lifts up her head. Her olive skin was glowing with the look of a bride on her wedding day. She was wearing a light blue tank top with a grey cardigan to go over it and dark jeans. Her smooth face forms a small, almost shy smile. But that wasn't what Troy notices. He looks at the way her eyes were sparkling like they were stars in the night sky.

"Hey…" Gabriella says a little shyly, probably not sure what was going to happen. Troy smiles brightly as he steps aside. Neither one of their eyes left each other as she walks inside the warm house. "Merry Christmas." She says while holding a red bag in her hands out to him. Troy shuts the door and couldn't help but continue to beam at her.

She places the bag on the stairs as she turns to Troy. God he wanted to just kiss her right here and slam her against a wall with passion. But his entire family was now moving to the living room and it looked like his mother was staring at the two with a smile on her face. So Troy grabs her arms and pulls her to him, feeling the familiar tingles shoot through his body as he leans his head in to take in the smell of her hair. "Merry Christmas." He whispers back.

Gabriella giggles a little as they just stay in that position for a moment. Finally, they both pull apart at the same time, while Troy's hands were still on her forearms as she was smiling at him. "I think your family is waiting." She says while looking down the hall, Troy almost wincing as she giggles a little from his embarrassment.

"Come on." He says while taking her hand and lacing their fingers. He stands in front of her, so his family couldn't see their hands. He didn't want to ruin the surprise yet, especially for his mom. He leads her to the living room.

"Gabriella!" His grandmother exclaims as she stands up, Gabriella immediately drops his hand before anyone else could see. She smiles brightly at the elderly lady as she grabs the side of Gabriella's perfect face as kisses her cheek. "How wonderful it is to see you!"

"You too Mrs. Edwards." She says, referring to his mother's maiden name. Troy smiles at the girl he was in love with as her face glowed in a way that Troy never had seen before. "Hi everyone."

They all smile and wave, all saying how great it was to see her. The women stand up and each hugs the girl, Troy staring at her like he was looking at the entire world. Though he was, he was just looking at his world right then. He smiles as he leans his back up against the wall, while some Christmas movie was on the television though Gabriella was talking with his grandmother, while glancing at him every once in awhile.

"Troy… did you hear what I said?" His mother asks while placing a hand on his shoulder. He suddenly shakes out of his stare as he looks at his mother who had a knowing look in her eyes.

"What?" He asks while glancing at Gabriella again to see that his grandmother had just kissed her cheek one last time before turning to go talk to the twins.

"You two can go up to your room if you need some privacy." She says while nodding towards the two small presents in purple wrapping paper sitting at the bottom of the Christmas tree. The only ones left unwrapped. Though Troy tried not to get excited. His room, plus Gabriella, minus any supervision, multiplied by the number of kisses, dividing her legs equals Troy's fantasy right now.

"Thanks." He responds and smiles at his mother who seemed to be glowing. He then bends down and picks up the two presents under the tree. He comes up and straightens out his red short sleeved shirt a little before looking at Gabriella who was grinning back. His head nods backwards towards the hallway as she nods, and makes her way through the living room. Neither say a word as they silently make their way out of the kitchen and to the dark hallway. Night was beginning to fall, though it was dark from the storm anyways, as Gabriella's hand reaches down and grabs the red present on the floor.

Rain was pattering against the windows again as Troy leads Gabriella upstairs silently. The upper floor was completely silent as they both walk into his dark room. Troy slowly closes the door before Gabriella turns away from his bed. They stare at each other for a moment, the space between them seeming way too heavy. This was the first time Troy had been alone with her since he last saw her naked under her sheet. Their eyes were connected as love was radiating off of both of them.

At the exact same time, both drop the presents they were holding and break the distance between them. Troy grabs her arm and pulls her to him, Gabriella immediately wrapping her arms around the back of his neck as their lips connect. Fireworks were spreading through his body again as Gabriella's hands were running violently through his hair. He immediately pushes her backwards onto the bed that was right behind her as he bounces a little form the force. They crawl a little backwards until Troy's feet weren't hanging off the edge of the bed anymore. Troy's lips were still attacking Gabriella's as he hears a moan stifled by his own tongue. "I missed you…" He says while removing his lips from hers and planting furious open mouth kisses down her jaw line.

"Troy…" Gabriella moans as his lips reach her neck and he begins sucking on the already chapped skin from last night. Sparks were flying through his body and he could feel his erection already starting to form against Gabriella thigh, making the world record on getting turned on so quickly. "…God I missed you too." She says back while arching her back a little bit and rubbing her hips against his to Troy's liking.

"Fuck…" He mutters while his lips trail back up and connect to hers again. Gabriella's hands were around the back of his neck as her tongue slips inside his mouth. They both fight for dominance while Troy's hand slowly slips off the gray cardigan that she was wearing.

"Troy… Troy hang on…" Gabriella says breathless as she pushes his chest up, disconnecting their lips. Troy's eyes narrow a little in confusion. Did she not want him now? What was this all about? Her chest was heaving up and down as her bare shoulders were so tempting to press his lips against. Gabriella giggles a little while sitting up against his head board. "I know what you're thinking…" She says while glancing down in between his legs where he knew underneath he was trying to rip his way through. "But your parents are downstairs, along with your grandparents. I don't think they'd be happy if they heard your bed slamming against the wall." She says while smiling, not helping with his 'problem' right now. "And my legs burn." She says while leaning towards him and gently kissing his lips.

After she breaks away from him, Troy smirks at her. "Sorry about that." He whispers, knowing he was the reason they hurt so badly.

"And you have to open your present." She says while nodding towards the red bag that was now on it's side on the floor.

Troy smirks. "Presents are good!" He exclaims while Gabriella giggles. He gets up off the bed reluctantly as he picks up the two purple boxes and Gabriella grabs the red bag on the floor. They sit back down on the bed while Gabriella holds out her bag.

"Merry Christmas." She says while smiling brightly as Troy takes the bag from her. He grins and shakes it a little teasing her.

"It's kinda heavy." He says while looking inside to see that there was a white envople. "You got me a card? Cheesy huh?"

Gabriella giggles a little while shrugging her shoulders. "Just open it."

Troy does and finds not a card, but two tickets. His eyebrows raise as he reads what they said. What? That had to be a mistake. "You got me two first section tickets to a Lakers game? Gab… this is… wow. Thanks." He says while leaning in and grabbing the side of her face to kiss her lips softly.

"There's more." She adds in and points to the bag.

Troy reaches his hand in and smiles as he pulls out a small bottle. "You got me cologne. Are you telling me I smell?" He asks while Gabriella giggles.

"Well…" She says teasingly as his hands attack her stomach. Eruption of giggles release from her throat until Troy's fingers stop and he places his lips onto hers again.

"Thank you." He says while Gabriella bites her bottom lip softly. Troy then grabs the two presents sitting on the side next to him as he picks up the larger, bottom one first. "Your turn. Open this first." He says with a small smile on his face. Gabriella picks up the present and neatly unwraps it, careful not to hurt the edges. The smile on her face grows as her eyes light up. In her hands was a book with a giant music note on it. Her long, thin fingers slowly open it as she looks at the different pictures starting from when she and Troy were little, to ones of her and Taylor, and some of the whole gang, ending with a recent one of Troy's arm around her two days before she left to go to San Francisco. "My mom got a lot of the pictures…" He tries to explain while nervously looking at her to see if she liked it.

Her eyes look up and glow as she smiles brightly. "It's incredible."

Troy smiles as he plays with the present in his hand. "There's uh… there's one more…" He says while holding up the lighter, smaller object of the two. It was a plain square wrapped in purple wrapping paper. His hands were nervously shaking as Gabriella's eyes were locked on hers. "And… and I know we have to talk about this… but um…" He stutters a little, then sighs as he holds out the box. "Here…"

Gabriella carefully takes the box and unwraps it slowly, as though it would bite her. Troy holds his breath as she pulls out the small, cardboard black box. Her thin fingers gently take off the top as she gasps. Troy smiles a little as her eyes sparkle and they slowly reach in to pick up the gold chain that was much more feminine then the last time he showed it to her. It sparkles gold in the light as the basketball hoop pendent twists in the air. "Troy…"

"I know… it's not like I bought it…" Troy tries to explain as Gabriella's eyes were still sparkling. "But um… It brought me you… so I thought you could hang onto it." Gabriella smiles brightly as her eyes connect up with his. "I was gonna give you this." Troy holds up his right hand to see the glowing scarlet red stone. "But I didn't want you to be like Olivia, cuz this means more… and I'm not gonna lie I felt naked with out it."

Gabriella continues to grin. "And feeling naked would be a bad thing?"

Troy could feel a sudden twitch of his erection that had diminished before. "You are trying to kill me."

Gabriella giggles as she leans it and connects their lips together in a soft, yet sensual kiss. "I already told you the ring looked better on you anyways. Thank you… this means so much." She says while then holding up the gold chain. "You wanna…?"

Troy grins as he takes the necklace from her hands. She spins around and lifts up her long, flowing curly black hair as Troy gently places it onto her neck and clips the hook. His thumbs draw circles on her neck as his lips slowly come down and were placed onto it. She shivers a little as Troy comes back up and she turns around to face him. Their lips connect again as Troy pulls her body up onto his lap and slowly slips his tongue into her mouth. They had a lot to talk about, so much actually, but for right now, both were satisfied with just being in each other's arms. Troy could honestly say this was the best Christmas he had ever had.


	33. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

**A/N: So a lot of people have been asking me if this is it, if I'm going to end the story. Well, I'm probably commiting suicide right now, since everyone seems to be happy right now, but no, it's not over. I have somewhere I want to take this and have no idea how many chapters it's going to be, but it's not over. Like I said, I'm probably doing something stupid, but it's not over yet. Thanks for reading and your reviews are INCREDIBLE. I love you guys!**

* * *

Gabriella's heart stops beating.

"What do you mean Olivia's coming tonight?" She says in between her teeth, feeling anger towards her friend run through her veins. The dark girl turns a brighter shade of read through her smooth, chocolate skin. Gabriella could feel her own olive complexion turn redder with anger as Taylor pulls out the popcorn out of the microwave. Gabriella's hands were shaking as she was slightly becoming nervous. "You invited her and didn't tell me? Taylor!" She says while almost whines her name.

"Calm down Gabs. It's not a big deal." Taylor responds while salting the popcorn. This makes Gabriella's dark brown eyes narrow and darken so they were close to the color black. "Kelsi and Sharpay are coming too. You don't even have to talk to her."

"Tay… not a big deal? Not a big deal!" Gabriella announces almost hysterically even though she was making this situation seem worse then what it really was. But Taylor didn't understand, obviously. "I can just picture how this conversation will go. 'Hey Olivia, how was your Christmas? Mine? Oh, it was great. I slept…er… made out with your ex boyfriend the night before!'" She says while catching herself before letting it slip out.

It was now two days before New Years Eve. Troy and Gabriella had basically been seeing each other every day, though they hadn't had sex again yet. After giving each other presents on Christmas Day, they had a long talk discussing how everything should be handled. They both agreed that they shouldn't go flaunting around that they were together. Though Troy hadn't asked Gabriella out yet, she wasn't really concerned about it. She was his, and for right now they didn't need the label, especially with the whole Olivia thing being so raw. She didn't want to be considered a slut for going after Troy right after the two broke up, nor did Troy want to ruin his reputation as a good guy by people thinking he was just with Gabriella for a rebound. Even though she knew she wasn't, they both thought it would be best not to spread it outside their group. If people asked, neither was going to deny it, but so far, no one had asked.

Taylor shrugs while throwing in another bag of popcorn into the microwave. Gabriella was sleeping over at Taylor's tonight, along with Sharpay and Kelsi, and evidently Olivia. "Well… you don't have to tell her THAT part about your Christmas. And besides, it's not like you two had sex or anything."

Gabriella's heart almost stops being again. That was the other thing that Troy and Gabriella discussed. They had decided to tell the gang they became an idem that night, but both agreed none of them needed to know they had sex. Troy had told Chad they just made out for two hours, along with Gabriella telling the same story to Taylor. Gabriella almost smiles at her and Troy's private little secret as she reaches up and grabs the gold chain on her neck, moving the pendent back and forth, unable to help but think about those perfect drowning blue eyes pouring into her own. "Yeah… I guess…" She lies.

Taylor lets out a sigh as her eyes connect with Gabriella's. "Look, I'm sorry. I should have warned you but I thought you wouldn't come. I just don't want Olivia to think we're not going to talk to her because she and Troy broke up. I still like her." She says while Gabriella lets out a sigh.

"I like her too…" _More now that she wasn't with Troy_. She thinks to herself. "It's just… I practically stole her boyfriend away…"

"He was your best friend first." She says while a beeping noise echoes through out the kitchen. "And we were all waiting for you two to get together. So you didn't steal him. She just borrowed him and you took him back."

Gabriella rolls her eyes. "Yeah, cuz that makes sense."

Taylor opens her mouth to say something but then a ringing in the air enters Gabriella's ears. The small girl tenses up a little while Taylor rolls her eyes. The familiar nervous feeling in her stomach sets in and Taylor walks over. "Just relax ok? Everything's going to be fine." She says while placing a hand on Gabriella's boney shoulder. "I'll get that."

As soon as Taylor leaves the kitchen, Gabriella whips out her phone and begins typing letters:

_Tay set me up. Liv is coming tonight too_

She shuts the phone and places it back on the table. Her eyes glance around the room as they land on the popcorn bowl and she looks at it with disgust. What was it looking at her for! But her thoughts were interrupted as She suddenly hears a sigh and a drop of something on the floor. "Do you think I brought enough?" A high feminine voice aims towards Gabriella.

The tan girl looks at the blonde standing in the kitchen with her white sunglasses on top of her head, even though it was dark out. On the floor next to her was two huge pink with silver star suitcases that were about the size of the kitchen table. She also had a fuzzy pink pillow that was propped up on top of them. Her sliver heels click against the floor, even though they were having a girl's night and Gabriella was just in jeans and a red basketball t-shirt she bought from Troy when they were selling them. She also had a grey "Bolton" sweatshirt in her bag that evidently wasn't coming out anymore tonight.

"Hey Shar." Gabriella greets her as a vibrating noise erupts on the counter. Gabriella's immediately whips open the phone to see Sharpay roll her eyes.

_U want me 2 come pick u up? Say u got sick from me. I'll kick the guys out and we can have alone time ;)_

Gabriella smiles a little as Sharpay rolls her eyes again. "Ok… if she's going to be texting the whole night. I'm calling Zeke." The blonde complains while holding up her bright pink phone with crystal rhinestones on it that were probably real.

The doorbell rings again as Taylor walks back out of the kitchen.

_No… I'll be fine. Thanx tho_

"So how is lover-boy?" Sharpay asks with her eyebrows wiggling. Gabriella could feel a blush erupt on her cheek.

"Sick. But other then that good." She responds honestly. Troy had gotten sick three days after Christmas, probably since he had been out in the rain that night. "Just don't say anything cuz Liv's coming tonight." Gabriella says while Sharpay rolls her eyes. The last thing she needed was it to spill out tonight that she and Troy were with each other.

"Please." Sharpay says while tapping her silver fingernails onto her blue tank top and with her hand on her hip. "If that girl says anything I'll just tell her to shove it up her perfect little…"

The phone on the counter vibrates again as Gabriella could hear the front door opening in the distance, saving Sharpay. She flips open the phone again and rolls her eyes at the horniness of her best friend.

_K just don't scream my name when you dream tonight and you'll be fine_

Gabriella rolls her eyes and places her phone in her pocket while her stomach suddenly flips. The air almost becomes thicker as she watches the small girl with glasses on walk into the kitchen with the brown-haired beauty at her side. Jealousy rolls through her stomach as she looks at the way Olivia's body looked perfect even if she as just wearing a baseball t-shirt and jeans. Her hair seemed to still be curled perfectly as her skin was glowing more then the last time Gabriella saw her. She didn't look tired anymore, and all it did was want to make Gabriella not eat the popcorn sitting on the counter even more than before.

"Olivia!" Sharpay announces, the two faced girl she was to her non-friends. That was one of the things that Gabriella found amusing. To everyone else, she could be a two faced bitch, but to Gabriella, Kelsi and Taylor, she was a fun friend who wouldn't talk bad about any of them unless it was to their faces.

"Uh… hey Sharpay." Olivia says almost scared as the blonde smiles brightly at her, Gabriella holding back the laughter that was trying to squeeze through her throat. She looks at Taylor, who just rolls her eyes and grabs the bags that Olivia and Kelsi set on the floor and move them to the living room, where Gabriella's bag already was. Her body tenses as the air becomes thirty times thicker. The dark chocolate meets the milk chocolate. Gabriella's mouth opens a little, not sure at all what to say. But Olivia's mouth curves into a smile, making Gabriella relax a little. "Hi Gabriella."

Relief spreads across Gabriella's body. She may hate her, but at least she wasn't showing it. She turns away slightly and closes her eyes. If she could just get past this night without letting it slip that she was now with Troy, everything would be ok… right?

Hours later, Gabriella found herself sitting in the middle of Taylor's living room floor as the rest of the girls giggle loudly. She fake laughs, while feeling her blood pressure was spiking through the roof. Saying she was scared would be an understatement. She wasn't scared, she was petrified. Petrified about what was going to happen. She crosses her legs and looks at the clock, 11:45. She was going to kill Sharpay later for suggesting thirty questions out of the magazine she brought. It had thirty questions to ask while having a girls night. Damn magazine editors.

"Ok… Kels… name five things about a significant other that you hate." Taylor says while Kelsi's face gets beat red. Sharpay smirks as she leans back on her giant practically air mattress which looked like it was built for a queen.

"This will be good." She says while glancing at Gabriella. She had managed to get easy questions from Taylor and Olivia, consisting of, "What is the best food while you have your period" and "Name a famous celebrity you'd have sex with. That was easy. What she was scared of right now was the fact that Sharpay was next to get the magazine, and she knew she would pick Gabriella, since the blonde kept smirking mischievously at her.

"Well…" Kelsi says in her small voice. "Jason needs to cut his hair." She says while Gabriella could hear Olivia giggle. She glances at the perfect girl and it was no wonder why Troy fell for her. Though Gabriella liked her more now that she wasn't with him, she was still intimidated by her. Her perfection and the fact that she was afraid Troy would just turn around and fall for her all over again. "He's kind of stupid sometimes, he loves nuts and I'm allergic, um… his mom hates me… And he does this weird thing where he pulls out hair on his legs."

All three girls burst out laughing as Gabriella tries her best to try laughing, but she couldn't help but see Sharpay look at her with a gleaming look in her eye. Olivia actually wipes a tear away from her eye as she glances at Gabriella with a smile on her face. They seemed to be getting along, but no one had dare brought up Troy the entire night. "What… does he collect it or something?" Olivia asks while Kelsi giggles a little and shakes her head.

"Who knows what he does." She says and giggles a little more. Taylor smiles and then slides the magazine over to the opposite end.

"You're up Shar." Taylor says as Gabriella'a body immediately tenses. Sharpay gets the look on her face again as her perfectly manicured nails pick up the magazine. Gabriella feels her legs tighten around her stomach in a ball, since she was now wearing a pair of black shorts that belonged to a certain basketball captain. Sharpay was now in a purple tank top and light blue pajama pants with "Diva" written on the butt in rhinestones. Olivia's perfect body was in sweats while Kesli was in a pair of red pajama pants and Taylor was wearing sweatpants that Chad probably left one time.

"Fabulous." She says while looking down. Her smile forms into a grin like Gabriella's was on Christmas. Her light brown eyes immediately shoot up and lock on Gabriella's, almost making her scoot back to get away from the line of fire. Here it comes. "Question twenty-eight. Describe your fantasy fuck…"

"It doesn't say that!" Taylor announces as she holds it up. "Describe your dream kiss!" She says while Gabriella's eyes were the size of Texas. She could feel a pair of milk chocolate ones burning onto her body.

"I don't care. This is so much juicier." She says while tapping her painted nails on the carpet and staring at Gabriella like she was watching a movie about where to get the best shoes. "Come on… we'll all do it… What would be your dream sex. I'll even go first…"

Gabriella's mind was searching for something while her head was locked on Olivia's. Sharpay was talking, and she could tell that she wasn't going into details, just setting and everything. Ok Gab. You could do this. It would be easy. Just come up with something like… under the stars in an open field on an August night. Yeah. Perfect. That would work.

"…and I don't know. That's how I could see our first time." Kelsi finishes as Taylor smiles and Sharpay rolls her eyes.

"That's really cute. Ok Liv. Your turn." She says.

Gabriella's breath was being held in her throat. She looks at the flawless girl and watches as her face gets beat red. Something inside her was hitting the jealousy/protective nerve. Something about knowing what Olivia wanted made Gabriella slightly protective. "I don't know… it's stupid… but I always wanted it to be with the person I love obviously." She says and Gabriella does her best not to narrow her eyes at the thought of that person being Troy. "I just… kinda like what Kels said. Under the stars. Outside. I think I'd love it to be a clear night so you could see the twinkle in his eyes." She says while not looking up at Gabriella. Troy had a sparkle in his eye. "A beach. I'd want it to be on the beach with the ocean crashing up on a warm night."

Gabriella couldn't help but almost throw up in her mouth at the thought of Troy's perfect, glistening body on top of Olivia's perfect body the way he was with Gabriella on Christmas. But she tries to place a smile on as her mouth felt like sandpaper. "That's really sweet Liv." She says as Olivia glances at her, then immediately turns away.

Sharpay's bored eyes immediately shoot to the girl who was sitting across from her. Gabriella's stomach completely flips. How lame was her story? It would sound completely unromantic compared to what Olivia just said. She wanted to match up. She wanted to be better then her. She couldn't let Olivia win. "Ok Gabs… spill."

Gabriella's mouth opens. Just say the field one. It would be so much easier. But the other side of her, the one that controlled her eating disorder last year suddenly shines. She couldn't let Olivia beat her. So she doesn't even realize what was coming out of her mouth before it starts. "Lightning." She says plainly as Sharpay raises her eyebrows. "I'd want to do it while it was storming. Like so you could see the blue glow off his skin." She says while refusing to look at Olivia like Troy's name was written in her eyes. The dark chocolate close slightly as she lets out a small breath, reliving what happened the other day. "His wet skin touching yours, proving to you how much he cares." She says with her eyes opening again, coming back to the present and away from Christmas.

"Aww… Gabs!" Kelsi exclaims while Gabriella looks at Olivia to see that her head was down. Did she knew Gabriella was talking about Troy? But the flawless girl looks up and looks at Gabriella with a small smile on her face. The only thing Gabriella didn't notice was the look of confusion written on Taylor's features.

"Yeah… it's adorable. I'm done with this." Sharpay says while tossing the magazine in the center. Gabriella, suddenly feeling a little self conscious, stands up.

Silence erupts in the room for a moment before Olivia finally opens her mouth. "So… I heard about this party on New Year's Eve. What's the deal with the barn?"

Sharpay's eyes grow wide that she didn't know what it was and Gabriella's own eyes roll, knowing that Sharpay's Christmas was actually on New Year's. "No one told you! It's basically…"

"I'm going to the bathroom." Gabriella says, not wanting to hear the story she had heard over and over again. She gets up, turning the corner and walking across the room. She walks into the hallway and leans up against the wall away from sight. Her eyes close as she does her best to try to force the feeling of longing to be in Troy's arms away. But she suddenly feels another presence there as well as she opens her eyes and turns her head to see a dark figure coming towards her.

"We gotta talk." Taylor whispers while pointing upstairs. That was Gabriella's cue to follow her up the stairs and into the hallway where her room was. She walks in, Gabriella following as she shuts the door gently. She turns the light on and Gabriella takes in how clean her room was. "You had sex with Troy that night didn't you?"

Gabriella's mouth suddenly goes dry. Oh no. They had agreed not to tell anyone. So would he be pissed off? Probably. So she decides to play dumb. "Why the hell would you think that?" She says while not looking at her.

Taylor rolls her eyes. "Hun, it was storming on Christmas Eve."

Gabriella opens her mouth stupidly for a moment. "So?"

Taylor rolls her eyes again. "So? I'm not stupid Gabs. Come on… spill or I'm calling Chad."

She couldn't do that. If she did then Chad would ask Troy and Troy would just be upset. "No!" She responds and lets out a sigh. He couldn't get that mad, could he? But it was either Chad asking him or Gabriella telling him. She was pretty sure Gabriella telling him would make him feel better. "You cannot say a word. Ok? You tell anyone, I'll cut your hand off."

Taylor's mouth forms a smile as she squeals a little. "I knew it!"

"Tay!" Gabriella warns as Taylor continues to beam. "No one, you hear? I can't let Olivia find out." She says as Taylor nods and runs over to her to give her a hug, practically crushing Gabriella's bones.

"So how was he?" She asks after pulling away.

A smile floods onto Gabriella's face. "Better then anything I'd ever dreamed of."

* * *

"You're gonna hate me."

If those words slip out of the mouth of the one you loved, it was never a good sign. He slowly pauses in mid shot as the cold wind whips against his black sweatshirt and grey sweatpants. The piercing blue eyes move away from the hoop as his stomach drops and he connects with the deep brown that were sitting on the grass. Troy hesitantly looks down at her and feels his hand shake. "I couldn't do that." He says and then feels a cough erupt and violently shakes his throat.

Gabriella's perfect head shakes as Troy could see the huge bags under her eyes. That makes Troy's heart stop. Oh no. She was probably changing her mind about everything that has been happening for the past week. But that was stupid. She seemed fine yesterday, before the sleepover. "No… you will…" She says while standing up and looking at Troy, almost scared.

She came over at around noon and Troy could tell she was quiet, but just figured that it was because she was tired. They had been outside for about a half hour now. He and the guys just stayed in and basically played video games all night, talking about the girls also, wondering what they were doing. Troy couldn't get his own mind off the girl who was standing in front of him now with a scared look on her face. "I've put up with you for fourteen years Gab… I'm pretty sure I can't hate you." He says in a voice that sounded like he had a pig up in nose while setting the orange basketball on the concrete and walks over to her.

"You're gonna be so pissed though." She says while looking down from his eyes. This scared Troy. What was going on?

"You didn't like… ditch Tay's and went over to some other guy's house did you?" Troy asks in a trying to be joking manner, but by the way she was acting he was almost half serious. Gabriella's eyes immediately shoot up from the ground as they grow wide and she shakes her head violently.

"God no. Oh shit Troy never." She says while taking a step towards him. Troy lets out a sigh in relief as he smiles a little at her. Well, at least she wasn't with another person. Then what was it? "I um… I didn't mean too… she just guessed and…" Gabriella stutters while picking up the pink rubber band that was sitting on her wrist underneath her black jacket. "I um… Taylor sort of found out…" She says while looking down at the ground again.

That was it? That was the big secret that she was trying to hide? "Like… about Christmas?" He asks as Gabriella nods slowly. A sigh of relief ripples through his body as he chuckles a little. Her smooth, perfect face looks confused as Troy places his arms around her body. "She was bound to find out eventually. I'm not pissed. Just… you didn't tell Sharpay did you?"

Gabriella's head which was in the crook of his neck shakes as Troy could feel her cold nose rub up against his cold skin. Troy shakes a little as she pulls away from him, but Troy keeps his hands on her hips. "No… just Taylor." She says while Troy suddenly gets a tingling sensation in his nose and lets go of Gabriella to let out a violent sneeze. "Bless you." She says while Troy sniffs a little. "Feeling any better?"

Troy shrugs even though his head felt like a giant balloon that could pop at any given moment. "A little." He responds and sniffs again. "I don't care about Tay. Then I can brag to Chad about it too and won't feel guilty." He says with a smirk on his face while Gabriella rolls her eyes. "Just don't tell Sharpay. Whatever you do."

Gabriella raises her eyebrows as she puts her black gloved hands on the hips of her jeans and shakes her head. "Do you really think I'm that stupid? I wouldn't do that unless I wanted it aired on CNN."

Troy laughs a little, which turns into a cough as he feels like he was trying to throw up a cow that wouldn't come up. "Fuck I gotta get better in twenty-four hours." He says while walking back and picking up the orange basketball on the cement. Most girls might have been offended that Troy was practicing basketball while they were over, but Gabriella never cared. She used to sit and watch him all day when he was first trying out as a freshman. They could sit through a lecture about the speed of a snail compared to a turtle and wouldn't get bored.

His knees bend and he shoots the ball, letting in hit off the backboard and floating into the net. "Are you still gonna go?"

Troy's eyes immediately move from the basket and look at Gabriella like she was crazy. But he couldn't keep that stare for long, since the sun was shining brightly down on her, though it was a crisp wind, yet it still managed to play with her hair. "Are you insane? Gab… it's New Year's Eve. I'm not going to let a cold stop me."

New Year's Eve. For the rest of the world, it was a time to celebrate the new year that was approaching with the ones you loved. For the elite students attending any school in the five mile radius outside the city of Albuquerque, including West, East and about ten other surrounding schools, it was the one night where you got completely smashed without having to worry about the cops.

No one knew when the tradition started. No one knew how it happened, but no one asked questions either. It was simple. Some unknown person owned a barn about twenty miles on the outskirts of Albuquerque. This barn was rented out by one of the private school's football captain, but it changed which school so no one could catch them. Only the elite found out about it, the top of each school. Not that Troy would mind everyone else coming too, but he was never in charge so he couldn't change it. The barn was in the middle of woods, with an opening surrounding it. It was perfect to just get away and get as wasted as you wanted, with out worrying about getting caught.

Gabriella sighs as she nods. "Sorry." She says while Troy closes his eyes and sets the ball down again. The wind whips again as Gabriella's arms cross over her chest to try and warm herself up.

"Cold?" Troy asks while she nods slowly. He then takes her in his arms again and sighs. "Plus, I wouldn't want to miss being with you." He whispers in her ear, placing a kiss onto the top of her head, feeling even her black, thick hair getting cold.

"I could stay with you if you wanted. You wouldn't have to get even more sick then." She says, offering up the suggestion. Troy smiles as he shakes his head and brings her body forward, feeling a cough threaten to come out of his mouth again.

"No… it will be fine." He says in a congested voice. "God I can't wait." He says while beaming at her as she rolls her eyes.

"We won't be able to be together anyways. Liv is going and I'm pretty sure she'll see if we're sucking each other's face off." Gabriella responds while Troy pushes the lower half of his body up against hers.

"Everyone will be so shit-faced they won't be able to tell it's us." He says and lets out a small sigh. "Besides…" He sniffs while Gabriella smiles up at him. "I wouldn't want to contaminate you anyways."

Gabriella smiles up as Troy's hands that were on the small of her back push up closer so her jeans left no space in between his sweatpants. "Why? It's my fault your sick anyways." She says with a devilish look on her face. "And… I'm pretty sure that I'd be able to handle it, if it meant being with you." She whispers in his ear, making Troy's knees shake a little bit. Her fingers trail up his chest as he closes his eyes.

"Fuck you for knowing how to turn me on." He says while placing a small kiss onto her neck, knowing that no one else could do it like Gabriella. No one.


	34. Dancing in the Dark

Inside it was insane. There were pink, blue, yellow and green strobe lights bouncing off the walls. The tables were lined up against the edges of the barn, guys standing back and serving the alcohol because it was their "duty" and they thought they could get a quick lay after getting some of the girls trashed. Girls, even though it was about thirty degrees outside, were wearing tops that could be mistaken for bikinis; along with shorts so short you could barely tell there was a material on their legs. Guys were pushing these girls up against the walls. The wooden latter led to a part upstairs, that seemed to be extremely smoky and an airy atmosphere, also including the rule of no clothes past the top of the latter.

It was all numbers. One hundred-fifty people. Two-hundred sixty-five cases of beer. Two-hundred ninety-nine bottles of vodka, tequila, and rum. Two-hundred fifty red plastic cups. Five hundred bottles of water to try to run it through one's system faster. Fourteen strobe lights, six speakers positioned around the perimeter of the barn. One DJ, causing the base to pump through the dirt floor up to meet the beating pulse of your heart. Ten different tables, five on the inside and five on the outside of the barn.

Then multiply all those numbers by two, and you have the Richland barn on the night of New Year's Eve.

Gabriella was standing fifty yards away, with a warm hand resting on the small of her back. Her eyes were locked onto the lights that were spilling out of the two windows on the upper level. She could already get the whiff of weed being smoked somewhere, making her want to hurl. There were people outside, giggling and dancing to the base of the music that was echoing even this far away. Why the cops never caught them was beyond her, because even from back here, Gabriella could tell everyone was completely smashed, and it was only 9:30.

"Why didn't Jason and Kelsi come again?" Sharpay asks the group boredly as all six of them stand there, not moving, almost intimidated. It wasn't like Gabriella didn't go last year and didn't have a good time, it just scared her. There were so many people there, so many staring, wasted people. It was intimidating.

"For the thousandth time Shar, Kelsi wasn't comfortable." Taylor says while taking a step closer towards her boyfriend that was hanging onto her hand protectively. "You know she doesn't like shit like this."

"Sorry." Sharpay says in a sing-song voice as she adjusts the light blue tube top with silver rhinestones covering her body along with the short mini-skirt even though Gabriella was freezing. She looks down at her own outfit, thinking how stupid she was, in her gold sequenced spaghetti-strapped top and a red beater underneath with ripped tight jeans. But seeing as Sharpay and Taylor were wearing less clothing then she was, she would say that she just wanted to look good.

"Whatever. What the fuck are we standing here just looking at it?" Chad asks, Gabriella could tell he was eager to get inside. Along with what looked like Zeke and Sharpay. She then looks to the side of her to feel the presence of a slightly shaking body from the cold on her. Her eyes look up and lock on Troy's piercing blue as he gives her a small smile.

The six of them start walking towards the barn, the music echoing off Gabriella's ear drums with every step they took. She could hear a sniffle above her and does her best not to roll her eyes while glancing up at Troy, feeling his hand brush up against hers telling her he wanted to hold it. "You're committing suicide… you know that right?"

Troy looks down at her smirking, while shrugging his shoulders that only had a short sleeved green polo on. It was thirty degrees and Troy was sick. He was probably the dumbest person she had ever met, but figures he didn't care right now. But Gabriella feels her skin tingle as Troy leans down into her neck and lets a breath of hot air onto her skin. "No… because you're the one who got me sick in the first place."

Gabriella trembles a little as they stop in front of the door to the barn. Slowly, Chad opens the door on the side and Gabriella's eyes grow wide. They step in as the music blasts around them, filling her ears so much that she was sure she would be def by the end of the morning. Lights were shooting from every direction as she looks around to find that it was going to be impossible to move. The music pumps through her veins as she watches the other girls on the dance floor dangerously moving and grinding their bodies up against their partners'. Her eyes look up again to see the pink and blue glow on Troy's face from the lights, as his eyes were wide probably thinking about when he was going to get that.

"Holy shit!" Chad exclaims while Gabriella's eyes take her surroundings. She suddenly feels a soft hand on the small of her back as her eyes blink to realize that Troy was trying to push her towards where the rest of the gang was headed. So desperately did she want to take his hand, but even though half the people she didn't know here, it still shouldn't have been slipped out that easily they were together.

They walk up to one of the white tables that had cups spread out everywhere. Gabriella squeezes through everyone until she could feel Troy's body up against hers, though it was so subtle that no one else would have noticed it. But Gabriella could. She could feel his hard body pushing up against her butt making her eyes close and her body suppressing a moan. The what looked like twenty-year old standing behind the table smirks at Gabriella, Taylor and Sharpay, checking them out while Gabriella could see Chad's face harden at the sight. Surprisingly, Troy was calm and the only difference is he then places a hand on her side and sends tingles through her body, though he was kind of breaking the "no pda" rule. "What can I get for you?"

Troy's hand falls from her side and Gabriella suddenly closes her eyes, immediately missing his touch. "I'll have a Sloe Comfortable Screw…" Troy says while placing his arm over Gabriella's shoulder and leans down so the guy could see him, subtly telling him Gabriella was his. "And she'll have a water…"

Gabriella smiles slightly, thinking how normally she didn't drink, but tonight was different. She had made it another year, and gotten through so much. Why not just take one night to celebrate? "Actually…" she cuts in while smirking up at Troy to see he raises his eyebrows in amusement. "I'll have a Caribou Lou."

The piercing blue eyes widen a little. "Whoa Montez… you think that's a pretty big jump?" He asks while the "bartender" hands over the two cups which Troy takes.

She smirks while taking her glass from his hand and smiles up at him. "I can handle it." She responds while taking a sip of the drink, immediately feeling alcohol shoot through her body. It defiantly wasn't like Gabriella to drink. Actually, the first time she started drinking was a year ago at this exact party, but it ended during her eating disorder when she realized how many calories were in these drinks. But tonight, she could deal with it. Like she said, she was celebrating surviving this damn year.

Her eyes look up as she hears Taylor's voice ring out. It says a name, a simple name but that name makes Gabriella's stomach turn. It was one thing to hang out with her with the girls, but to be at the party where everyone was completely smashed, was different. "Liv!" Taylor says as Gabriella's eyes reflexively look up at Troy to see his reaction. A small smile plays on his face, but Gabriella couldn't tell what kind of smile that was.

"Hey…" Olivia says while walking over to the gang with another girl who was in Gabriella's class. She was wearing a short, light blue strapless dress that made her look stunning. Gabriella immediately takes a step to the side, away from Troy whose eyes leave Olivia's body and his brows rise in confusion of the action. Taylor, Zeke and Chad all give the girl hugs. "This is huge!" She says while looking around at all the people.

"Yeah… bet you've never been to a party like this." Sharpay says almost rudely as she takes a drink of the alcohol she was drinking. Olivia's light brown eyes move from Sharpay and suddenly lock on the boy who was standing next to Gabriella. Troy's mouth forms a smile again as he walks to her. Olivia's eyes grow wide to see that her ex boyfriend was walking towards her and Gabriella could feel her body immediately tense up.

"Um… hi Troy." Olivia says while Gabriella does her best not to stare at the two.

"Hey… what's up?" He asks while wrapping his strong arms around Olivia's body. Gabriella's immediate reaction is to narrow her eyes and cross her arms, jealousy shooting through her veins. She knew he was just trying to make it less awkward between them, but that didn't stop Gabriella from getting jealous. Olivia seemed to be shocked as she slowly paces her arms around his neck and closes her eyes. Gabriella could feel her own deep brown narrow as Olivia takes in the scent of Troy. She tries everything in her power not to jump in between the two and shove her lips against Troy's. The little self control she has was stopping her though.

Almost as if to save her, she suddenly feels a strong arm around her shoulders. Gabriella gasps a little before turning and looking into the black, beady eyes. The boy's jet black hair was spiked up and he had the small scent of smoke on him. Gabriella's own deep brown eyes widen with excitement as she suddenly jumps up into the arms. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asks as she pulls apart from him to see the pink and blue lights reflecting off his tan face. Her eyes quickly glance to see that Troy was now talking with Olivia, but they were no longer touching to her relief.

His smile was beaming as the boy removes his first arm from her but keeps the other one around his shoulders. "Gabs… alcohol, babes, and no cops. I'm so glad being blood related means you know absolutely nothing about me."

Carlos' slightly crooked smile moves up even higher as he smirks at her. Gabriella rolls her eyes but suddenly feels another presence next to her. Her head looks to the side to see that Chad, Taylor and Zeke were walking to her. Gabriella kept her tab on Troy to see that Olivia was still talking with him and Sharpay, though it looked liked Troy and Sharpay were talking more. "Who the fuck is this?" Chad asks, glancing back at Troy probably protective over Gabriella for Troy.

She finishes taking another sip of her drink and smiles. "This is Carlos, my cousin." She stresses cousin and Chad's face immediately softens. She could tell that even though they hadn't been there for that long, Chad was already starting to get tipsy. That was no surprise, since he probably was already on round three. "Carlos, this is Chad, Zeke, and Taylor." She says while pointing to each of them.

"Oh hey, what's up man?" Chad says while walking forward and grabbing Carlos' hand to do a handshake way too long. Carlos just smirks, obviously been in the same position before.

Gabriella suddenly looks behind him to see he wasn't alone. There were two other guys, one an extremely tall and dark boy, almost the color of Zeke. He was completely bald, and had muscles the size of Texas. The other one had short, sandy blond hair that was cut short. His smile was one worth a million dollars. It was evident through his black wife beater he had a six pack, and his arms were extremely built. Gabriella knew he was hot, and if you could compare him to anyone, it would be Channing Tatum. He smirks while looking up at Gabriella up and down, which Gabriella was starting to get used to, so she doesn't move.

"This is Miles." Carlos points to the dark tall boy. "And this is Tony." He points to the Channing Tatum look-alike. "Guys, this is my little cousin Gabriella."

Gabriella rolls her eyes, knowing that she was only nine months younger then he was. Her eyes glance to the side to see that where Troy, Sharpay and Olivia were was now occupied by a new space, and she looks back at Chad to see that they had come up behind him. "Carlos!" Troy's voice exclaims.

Carlos sneaks a grin at Gabriella and then looks back at Troy. "Bolton! My man!" He says while they do the guy handshake and finally manage to get it right. Troy's eyes leave her cousin's for a moment to flash Gabriella a smile and a small wink before looking back at her cousin. She tries not to roll her eyes. It wasn't that she was mad at him at all, it was just a protective thing and of course, control issue with the fact that Olivia and him hugged. But it was friendly, so she shouldn't be worried about it. "What's up dude?"

"Nothing man…" He says while taking a sip of the drink he had gotten with Gabriella earlier. She was starting to feel the alcohol mix into her veins and make her looser.

But it was at that moment that Gabriella almost missed, in a split second. Carlos' black eyes leave Troy's piercing blue, and they suddenly connect with the light brown that were looking down before. Olivia, who was standing behind Sharpay, gasps a little as their eyes connect together, and Gabriella could almost feel the room heat up in the way that it did when Troy and Gabriella looked at each other. For a moment, Gabriella completely forgot about Carlos' bad life of drinking, sex, smoking, and the occasional drugs. A small smile forms onto his face, just for a moment before he looks back to Gabriella. Wait, didn't he have a girlfriend? "Who are they?"

"Oh… That's Sharpay…" She points to the blonde who was now on Zeke's arm. Her eyes look over to the other side of Carlos to see Tony was looking Sharpay up and down, just as he did with Gabriella a moment before. But she shakes her head to rid of the thought. "And that… that's Olivia Walker."

Carlos' eyes grow wide for a moment before they immediately shoot to Gabriella as if to say 'Troy's old Olivia?'. Gabriella head nods slowly as he looks back at her. "Hey…" He says, laying off on the Hispanic accent that seemed so show through more when he was with his friends.

"Um… hi…" Olivia says shyly. Troy's eyes look back at Olivia and Gabriella suddenly holds her breath. Was that a look of longing? But then his eyes immediately shoot back to Gabriella's, with a small smirk on his face. But she turns the other way, still irritated, even if Olivia wasn't looking at him with longing anymore, since she now had her eyes on Gabriella's cousin.

"Dude, man you should listen to this!" Chad's voice interrupts Gabriella's thoughts as she looks to see an already drunken Chad patting Troy's shoulder.

"What?" Troy asks while Gabriella looks to see that Tony and Miles were explaining something to Zeke and Chad, with Sharpay looking bored but Tony kept catching glances at her.

"So I'm hitting about one-sixty… and the fucker decides he's gonna tear right, cutting my ass off and almost taking out my left fender." Tony explains while Carlos rolls his eyes.

"That's fucking incredible!" Chad exclaims while Troy narrows his eyes and downs the rest of whatever he was drinking.

"Dude… you talking about 167?" Carlos asks while Gabriella's stomach suddenly drops.

"Course man. The fucker Samuels fucked up my car." Tony says while Troy again scrunches his eyebrows.

"What's 167?" Troy asks, Gabriella watching as the three guys plus Chad and Zeke drop their mouths.

"What? You've never heard of 167?" Miles asks while Troy shakes his head slowly. Gabriella's own head was starting to feel light, but she wasn't giving up now. A little bit and then she was hoping to get slammed, but first it was a little payback from the hug Olivia got first.

"Dude, man… you gotta get out more." Carlos says while Troy rolls his eyes, both of them knowing Troy was more popular then all of them there combined. "Interstate 167. The one that's been closed for about a year. There's only one thing to do on it."

"Street race?" Chad asks slurred while Troy reaches over to the table with alcohol and just grabs a cup and starts drinking. Gabriella on the other hand was half paying attention, half looking around and suddenly locks her eyes on one boy who was dancing with what looked like Julia. The green strobe light hits him, showing off his pale skin and black hair. Perfect.

"You got it." Tony says while glancing at Sharpay, giving her his million dollar smile.

"I wanna go!" Sharpay whines, the alcohol officially took over her body, along with Chad.

"Shar! You and I… we're hitting that up!" He announces while Taylor, who was tipsy, shakes her head.

"Not without me!" She exclaims while throwing her arms around his neck. Gabriella was barely listening as her eyes were still locked on Jeff, who seemed to be enjoying himself. Sure, both of them were just friends, but she wanted to play with Troy tonight. Just a fun little game. It would be innocent. And perfect.

"Dude, Gabs, next Saturday, you in?" Carlos says, bringing Gabriella out of her thoughts.

"What? Oh yeah… whatever…" She says distantly, not sure what she was in for, but Carlos seemed to be happy. Her eyes were focused on the fact that Julia was pulling away from Jeff. Time to make her move.

"Liv has got to come too!" Taylor announces, Gabriella's head turning around and smirking she was done with this conversation a long time ago. Now, it was pay back time.

"I don't know what the fuck you guys are just standing here for." She says while taking the red cup in her hands and downing it completely. Her eyes look up to the piercing blue that were amused and his mouth was smirking. The piercing blue and the deep brown lock as everyone else was looking at her, but Gabriella could only see Troy. How hot he looked as he flicks his hair out of his eyes. "But I'm going to celebrate." She says, not sure if she was saying this or the alcohol.

Troy smirks as he takes a step forward, evidently thinking she was talking about dancing with him. But Gabriella immediately turns around and head towards the black haired boy, swaying her hips a little tauntingly at Troy. "Look at you!" Jeff says as his eyes land on her. Gabriella could hear the slur in his voice, proving he was probably tipsy or just full blown drunk.

"So… I think I owe you a dance." She says while he raises his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah? What for?" He asks while the green and blue lights pass over him. Gabriella could already feel hear heartbeat start to increase at the sound of the base, mixing with the alcohol that had already coursed through her body. Her eyes glance to see Troy's eyes were narrowed a little, but he had an amused smirk on his face, knowing that she was just playing with him right now.

"For not going to homecoming with you!" She announces as Jeff chuckles.

"I think you're right!" He says while Gabriella spins around and feels Jeff's strong hands grab her hips and being to push up against his own. Her mouth forms a lazy smile as she feels the beat pulse through her body. The barn looked even blacker then before as the two gently push their way through into the center, where it seemed everyone else was too. Some guys with shaggy hair and tattoos over his arm brushes up against her front, smiling.

But Gabriella's eyes were on him. They were locked on the boy to her right who was making his way through the crowd. Girls seemed to be draping their bodies over him. Jealousy shoots through Gabriella's veins for a moment, before she realizes that he was staring at her also, shaking his head slightly while continuing to carry the red cup in his hand. After picking and choosing, Troy seems to find a girl as she pushes her body up against his, Troy's eyebrows raising towards Gabriella almost as if to say 'two can play at this'.

Gabriella's hand wraps around the back of Jeff's neck while she continues to push her hips up against his. Suddenly, a white strobe light flicks on and the entire party seems to slow down in a slow motion. Gabriella's body seems to be bouncing slowly as her eyes look up again to meet the piercing blue. "Wipe that damn smirk off your face!" Gabriella whispers as the light turns off and Troy takes another drink.

"What?" Jeff asks behind her, Gabriella's body tensing a little.

"Oh… nothing." She says back and suddenly looks to see someone was holding a plate with thirty different red cups on it. Gabriella snatches one, along with Jeff, though she knew he was making his way towards alcohol poisoning.

Gabriella drinks it violently, again feeling the tingling sensation of the alcohol ripping through her veins. She closes her eyes and tries to focus on the beat and not look to Troy. She couldn't let him win this game, even if her opening was starting to throb, and it wasn't from Jeff. It was from the thought of Gabriella's lips pushed up against Troy's. Sweat begins to collect on her body, even though it was so cold outside. They were pushed up so close to each other that it seems like they were in Miami.

For about ten minutes, Gabriella's body does it's best to try to just let go with the music. Feel it course through her body, but it wasn't working. Not with Jeff's body was too hard. It didn't curve, didn't feel right. She closes her eyes and then suddenly feels a sudden hint of cold air as Jeff lets go of her. "I gotta… piss like a bitch… don't move…" Jeff says completely slurred, Gabriella smiling a little, knowing he wasn't coming back.

Her head was feeling slightly airy. She was tipsy, since she wasn't used to so much alcohol. Her body mashes against the others who were grinding on each other. Gabriella's eyes look to see that there was a girl on the floor, a guy pouring some clear liquid all over her. Her hands reach to his zipper on his jeans and pull at it, Gabriella's stomach flipping at how bad she wanted that with her love.

Almost as if on cue, her breath hitches as she feels two hands pull her back to one's chest. But this chest was distinct. She didn't even have to look around; she knew exactly who it was. Just by the way his body curve perfectly to hers drives her crazy. She moans slightly while feeling a hot breath on her neck. "You're turning me on."

She could hear the slur in his voice, proving that he was wasted. Gabriella giggles as she grabs the back of his neck and feels their bodies push up against each other in a dangerous way. The heat in the barn suddenly amplifies as his body drops them lower, making Gabriella's butt rub up against his groin harder. "Bout time you got over here." She yells over the music.

Troy's lips press up against the back of her neck softly. The weak throb that was in between her legs before grows. Troy's hands run down her sides as she could hear him sniffle a little. Her body was beginning to crave him, since her back was starting to arch as his hands rest on the inside of her hips, close to the pulsating organ. Anyone could see right now, but the alcohol was making her not care. She wanted Troy, with the lights surrounding them in the pitch black; it was heightening the seduction he was carrying.

"Fuck… what the hell was that about?" He asks referring to Jeff, even though she could tell he wasn't angry.

"You were too busy with Olivia." She responds, probably in a ruder tone then she meant. Her hands reach down to his and laces their fingers together slowly.

A sigh erupts from Troy's throat as he spins her around in his arms, finally making Gabriella look up into his eyes. His face looked so gorgeous under the multicolored lights, even if he was slightly paler than normal from being sick. Around people were bumping and grinding, making sweat stream down her back."You're pissed." He says slurred again.

"I'm not pissed." She responds while wrapping another arm around his neck. Troy pushes his groin up against Gabriella's making her moan slightly. He was beginning to drive her crazy, not that he ever stopped doing that.

"I'm not fucking stupid… I've known you like… I can't remember how long right now… but I'm not stupid!" He rambles while Gabriella rolls her eyes. "I'm not gonna ditch you for her." He states while she smiles, even if he was drunk. It was a reassurance, even if she knew; it was so nice to hear. "Would I do this if I didn't want you and only you?"

Gabriella was suddenly taken by surprise as the arm on her lower back reaches up and tangles in her hair. The deep brown eyes grow wide for a moment, before Troy shoves his tongue into her mouth angrily. The beat that was pulsating through her body catches the beat of the kiss as the alcohol in Gabriella's system completely takes over. The lights in the barn shine off their bodies as she completely forgets that she didn't want anyone to see this. Not that anyone would, since if she looked around, she wouldn't have recognized anyone.

She grabs the side of his face and doesn't know what takes over. Her mouth attempts to bite at Troy's tongue, making him moan in her mouth. His arm that was still on her lower back attempts to pull her closer, making Gabriella feel the bulge that was sticking out of his jeans.

Their bodies slowly begin to move backwards, pushing aside the other people as if it was parting the red sea. "Troy…" She says her breath hitched as his teeth bite at her neck. "…anyone could see us…" She responds and yelps a little as Troy bites too hard.

"Who the fuck cares." He says back right before shoving his lips against hers again, causing them to bruise a little. Gabriella's body was now on fire as the beat was turning her on even more.

Finally, after what seems like ages, they finally stumble out the barn doors, Gabriella's body falling on top of Troy's into the cold night while hitting the slightly wet grass with Troy's back. He laughs an obnoxious laugh while Gabriella's legs straddle him and attack his lips again. Fireworks were shooting through their bodies as Troy's hand was starting to make it's way up Gabriella's shirt. "Troy!"

She rolls off him, not wanting to have a make out session on the grass where people smoking pot were staring at them. So Troy wobbles as he manages to stand up fully. His hand grabs hers as they make their way towards the few hundred cars parked away from the barn. Troy's hand grabs each one, trying to steady himself before reaching in his pocket and trying to grab something. "I can't find it!" He announces as Gabriella giggles.

"Troy… Troy… baby it's this one." She points to a black pick up truck. Though she wasn't completely trashed, it was still controlling her a little as Troy stubbles to open the back up the truck.

"Come here." He says while pulling her arm to him. He quickly grabs her butt and attempts to push her into the bed of the truck, Gabriella's foot slipping in the process causing her to giggle at his efforts. "Fuck." Troy whispers as Gabriella manages to get her body up, Troy stumbling to follow.

"Let me…" She starts to say while grabbing his already cold forearms and pulls him up, but falling back a little so Troy was on top of her.

"Shit Gab…" He says in a slurred, congested tone as his lips immediately find hers. Sparks shoot through her body again as she wraps her arms around his neck and Troy wastes no time to shove his hand up her shirt, feeling around for the softest area. Gabriella moans a little as he makes it, massaging her breast underneath her bra a little roughly. Her hands grab the bottom of his shirt as she pulls it off slowly, completely forgetting that he was sick and that the cold air was hitting her skin with massive forces.

Troy's other hand pulls at the tank tops she was wearing also and throws them off in the bed of the truck. His head drops down and bites on her neck. It was rougher then normal, but you could blame that on the alcohol. His head lifts back up again and places his lips back onto hers.

Gabriella's back arches as she attempts to rub her groin up against his erection that was stirring on her knee. A moan is stifled in Gabriella's mouth from his throat as his tongue battles with hers. He begins to bite at her tongue again when suddenly, a giant pop enters Gabriella's ears, scaring Troy and causing him to bite down forcefully on her tongue. "Shit!"

The deep brown eyes look up to see that bright white lights boom in the sky. She smiles a little as another firework goes off, this time red. Troy stares up at them blankly, for a moment. "Whoa… it's so bright!" He says somewhat stupidly. Getting eager and Gabriella feeling the throb start to become unbearable, she grabs the back of Troy's neck and forces his head to look at her.

"I fucking made it." Gabriella states, thanking God privately for getting her out of the hell hole she had last year alive.

Troy smiles like a four year old as he leans down. "Happy New Year!" He says stupidly again as Gabriella's lips meet his halfway and violently presses hers up against his, as though trying to make last year just go away, making Troy to take it all away.

"Happy New Year." She says back and grabs the belt of his jeans and rips it off, only wanting one thing and that was to never look back on the year she had last year. This year was going to go right, and she was going to start it out by having the one she loved inside of her.

Whether he was completely wasted or sober, it didn't matter. She needed Troy, and that was all.

* * *

**A/N:I know this wasn't like a lot of you thought it was going to be, especially not at exciting, but I hope you liked it anyways. It was really meant to set up upcoming chapters. So thanks so much for reading and your reviews mean the world!**


	35. Sweet Dreams

If there was one thing Troy Bolton hated, it was rumors. People making up things that were entirely not true. The ironic thing about it was that rumors were started up around Troy all the time. When Troy first joined the basketball team, it was spread around that he was the long lost half brother of Michael Jordan, which was completely insane since Michael was African American and Troy was white. That was innocent though. People believe he railed Mary-Kate Olsen when she was in Albuquerque last year for a promotional tour with her sister. There was also a rumor that he had a three-some the night Gabriella had made out with a senior last year, which was completely insane since he had never done that.

The only thing that made Troy's stomach turn more then rumors, where rumors that were actually true.

He walks into the school with his backpack around one of his shoulders, and it was almost as though immediately, everyone's eyes turn to look at him. Something about the air seemed to be different and Troy took a breath in. Freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors were staring at him. The girls looked jealous, with their usually flirty smiles ripped off their faces. Though some of the upper-classmen were smiling brightly at him, not flirty smiles, but happy smiles. The guys, though they had slight jealousy in their eyes, were grinning at Troy like he had just won the lottery. What was going on?

Troy takes one black sneaker in front of the other as he slowly walks through the entrance, his eyes looking from left to right in confusion. What was going on? There were girls who were whispering things behind their hands as he walked by, the receiving end then looking at Troy. They then either smiled brightly at him, or looked at him with a lost longing. Troy tries to shrug it off as he walks towards the junior hallway, only to be greeted with smirking guys.

"Hey Bolton." Some guy says while patting him on the back.

"Uh… hey what's up?" He says confused as he continues to walk down the hallway. His eyes finally lock on a familiar dark skinned girl with a small girl in glasses and a dark, afro-haired guy standing next to a black haired boy. A smile drapes across his face as he walks towards the dark girl's locker.

"What's up dude?" Jason asks while holding out his hand. Troy takes it and they do the guy handshake programmed into everyone's head.

"God… why couldn't they just give us another day? The school district doesn't know how to do anything right." Taylor says while facing her locker and grabbing a spiral from her locker.

It was the first day back from winter break. Everyone was angry, including Troy who had a slight headache even though the hang over from the other day was gone. "I feel fine." Kelsi exclaims while Taylor smiles.

"Guess you and Jason were the only smart ones." She says with a small smile. Troy glances to the side to see another group of girls were pointing towards him and whispering something behind their hands. Sharpay glances to the side to cock one of her eyebrows at the sight while she looks back at Troy. "What the hell's with that?"

"Who knows?" Troy responds while Chad narrows his eyes at the girls. The black eyes look all around to see that practically everyone was whispering around them. "It was like that when I came it too."

"Dude… what…" He starts to say but then another voice cuts him off.

"Would you stop fucking staring? I know my hair is fabulous but unless you suddenly decide to actually do something with yours, it's not going to get better." A high pitched voice says as Troy turns around and sudden feels his heart do a back flip. Sharpay was walking towards them with her purse in her hand while the black haired beauty walks next to her. She was wearing a pair of white pants with a pick top that showed her cleavage just enough to Troy's liking. He was trying his hardest not to slip back two nights ago and think about when his lips were pressed against that cleavage.

"Someone's crabby." Taylor mouths while Chad smirks.

"God, I walk in the school and everyone decides to stare at me. What… did I get my period or something?" Sharpay asks while turning around to try to see if there was anything on the back of her skirt she was wearing. "Gabs!" She says while hitting the love of Troy's life on the shoulder with her purse, making Gabriella rub her shoulder. "We walk in together and you didn't even tell me I have my period!" She practically announces to the world.

"Shar, calm down you're fine." Taylor says while rolling her eyes and Gabriella continues to rub her arm. Troy resists the temptation to walk over and wrap his arms around her. Her eyes glance at Troy and give him a small smile before returning them back to the blonde who seemed to be having a melt down. Troy scratches the back of his neck uncomfortable with this situation.

Gabriella walks over to her locker as Troy feels her body brush up against his front, making him tremble a little. She glances back and smirks, Troy wishing right now he could just announce to the world that they were together. But that's not what Gabriella wanted, and he really didn't want it going around how much of an asshole he was to Olivia. She was just so irresistible, he could barely help himself.

"How's your hip?" Troy asks as he could almost hear the grin form on Gabriella's face. She turns around and smiles at him playfully, Troy's eyes looking to the left to suddenly find that there were a lot more girls staring at him now.

"Better." She says while placing her hand over the bruise that Troy knew was there from when she banged it on New Year's while both of them were naked in the hood of his truck.

He smiles softly at her and waits for a moment before Gabriella's eyes glance sideways to meet the other students'. They immediately turn and look away, pretending to be doing something else. "They were like that when I came in." Troy says and Gabriella narrows her eyes.

"Weird." She says and looks back at them then to Troy again. He suddenly realizes that he still had to put stuff into his own locker, so he turns away and walks towards the end of the hallway by himself.

After opening up his locker, he throws his backpack in when he suddenly hears a bunch of giggles erupt from behind him. But the presence next to him take his thoughts out as he looks to the side to see the sexy girl leaning up against the locker next to his with her folders in her hand. "I love how you just leave with out telling me." Gabriella says while Troy rolls his eyes.

"And I love how I didn't have to cuz I knew you'd end up here anyways." He says smiling back. It felt a little strange, since this was the first day he was actually coming to school without dating Olivia. But it wasn't a bad strange, it was more of a freedom strange. Freedom to do whatever he wanted with the girl he wanted, to a point since no one else knew.

Gabriella raises an eyebrow. "Calling me predictable?" She asks as Troy pulls out one of his own torn folders and leans his head towards her while dropping his voice.

"Never." He says somewhat seductively while Gabriella smirks at him. Her eyes look around to see that no one was looking down by Sharpay and the rest of the gang anymore. All of their eyes were on the two that were at Troy's locker at that very moment. "What the hell is going on?" He mumbles more then asks as Gabriella's perfectly thin shoulders rise up in a shrug.

"No idea. But I'm starting to think no one was looking at Sharpay when we walked in together." She states while looking around. Her arms cross over her stomach in the way that they always did when two many people were staring at her. Troy does his best to not wrap his arms around her again, but gently grabs one of her forearms.

"Gab… you look gorgeous alright?" He tries to calm her down a little, but finds it was unsuccessful since Gabriella's arm doesn't move. "Don't think about it ok?"

Gabriella's eyes darken so they were close to black as she shakes her head at Troy. "You know I can't stop. God… what is everyone's problem?" She asks in a threatening whisper as Troy lets out a small sigh. Suddenly, a ringing fills the air as he shuts his locker and leans against it for a moment.

"I know it's hard Gab… just try to ignore it ok? There's gotta be some reason." Troy says while smiling softly at her. Gabriella's anger seems to diminish at the action as she gives him a small smile back while closing her eyes. "Come on, or Darbus is going to flip a shit." He says while reaching out for her hand but she doesn't take it. Oh yeah, not showing pda.

"So um…" She says in a small voice. "How's it going to be in homeroom?" She asks and it takes Troy a moment for figure out what she was talking about. Her eyes turn back to the deep brown color instead of the black he had just seen a moment ago. Their steps were in sync with each other and Troy was doing his best not to let it get to him about everyone staring. It suddenly dawns on him what Gabriella was talking about. It would be the first class with Olivia.

"Oh… I don't know… I tried to make it less awkward on New Years." He says with a shrug and Gabriella nods slowly.

They walk into the homeroom and Gabriella walks straight to the back of the room where her seat was. Troy's eyes couldn't help but follow her as he had a lazy smile on his face, imagining she was in his arms somewhere. He doesn't even notice the bell ring and the small girl sit down in the desk next to his. Gabriella's eyes were looking down at something until there was a clearing of a throat which makes them shoot up and take Troy out of his daze.

"I hope you all had a splendid holiday and are ready to learn and pay attention, Mr. Bolton." Troy head immediately whips around as he sinks down in his chair a little, a flush erupting on his cheeks as Ms. Darbus' bug-eyed glasses glare down at him. Troy finally sits down as he glances towards the back of the class again to see Gabriella giggling. It was going to be torture not to be able to touch her, kiss her, and just be with her all day.

* * *

_Snap_

Gabriella could hear the loud echo of the rubber band against her skin as she walks down the hallway. Eyes: blue, green, hazel, gray, any color seem to be staring at only one thing, and that was the petite girl who has her books pressed up against her chest, trying to hide her. Why wouldn't they stop? She seemed to have been the center of attention all morning long, but the ironic thing was that she would have given anything to get that attention away.

"Make them stop!" She exclaims while she grabs her locker and angrily spins the lock on it. The dark skinned girl who was standing at her own locker narrows her eyes a little while looking around at the rest of the hallway. Gabriella could feel her dark eyes turning darker, if that were even possible, as she stares down at the silver lock, trying her best to concentrate.

"They're still doing it?" Taylor asks while Gabriella hears a click and angrily yanks at her lock to rip the door open as well. She shoves her books inside as she just gives a small nod without answering. "Wow…"

Gabriella angrily turns towards Taylor, feeling a storm brewing behind her. "Why the hell are they doing it?" She asks while her best girl friend shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders. Gabriella grabs the brown paper bag that was sitting on the top shelf and slams the white locker, making the few people who weren't looking at her already glance in her direction.

"I have no idea. Maybe they just missed you over break or something." She says while Gabriella sends daggers in her direction. "What?"

Before Gabriella could say anything, she suddenly sees a medium sized boy with an afro walks up behind Taylor and wraps his arms around her. Taylor jumps a little as she smiles and Chad kisses her softly. Gabriella's eyes roll as she looks behind him to see that Olivia was walking towards her locker, giving Taylor a small wave and a small smile in Gabriella's direction. They must have just gotten out of gym, but then where was the boy Gabriella wanted to see the most?

"Gabs… Coach Bolton wants to see you about something." Chad says with an amused smirk playing on his face. Gabriella's black eyes scrunch a little while she raises her eyebrows.

"Umm… what?" She asks with panic starting to spread through her veins. Oh no. Did Coach Bolton find out about Troy and Gabriella? Did he find out they had already slept together twice? What if he told her he didn't want his son involved with someone during basketball? But that was stupid, because Troy dated Olivia. But was it different?

"I don't know, he said something about needed to see you right away. He'll meet you outside the guy's locker-room." Chad says while placing another kiss onto Taylor's cheek. "Behave." He says smirking. "See ya."

The two walk away with a confused look on Taylor's face. Gabriella scrunches her eyebrows again. What? Behave? What did that mean? But her mind was circling in so many different ways that she couldn't think straight. So the only thing she does is begin to walk towards the stairs that would get her quickest to the gym.

He wouldn't be angry, would he? Didn't Coach Bolton like Gabriella? She always thought so. She knew his mom was in love with her, but what about his dad? Was he angry now that she was distracting Troy? Was she distracting Troy? She didn't think so, yet she hadn't seen a game since before break the night they almost kissed. What if being with Gabriella was hurting Troy in reality?

Her footsteps echo through the empty hallway since no one was there because it was during lunch. Gabriella's eyes were looking at all of the white lockers while her heart was starting to race a little. Her small calloused hand grabs the rubber band again. She couldn't not be with Troy. She had now gotten too emotionally attached to him. How could she not be with him because of basketball?

She takes a deep breath before turning the corner and suddenly her eyes grow wide. Standing up with his foot propped against a locker was not Jack Bolton. It was the younger version of him, with his chestnut colored head turning to the side as a curve spills out onto his face. Gabriella stands there stupidly looking at Troy who pushes off the wall a little. "Hey you."

Gabriella narrows her eyes. "Uh… I'm supposed to meet your dad…" She says stupidly while pointing towards the locker room. Troy flicks the hair out of his eyes as he walks towards her and laughs a little.

"Yeah… well… he's at lunch…" He says while Gabriella's eyes narrow again.

"But, Chad said…"

"You really need to stop believing what Chad says…" He mumbles while placing his hand against her head and slowly dipping his head down so his husky voice vibrates against her neck. "… since my dad's not here, you might as well just stay with me."

It finally sinks in to Gabriella that Troy had sent Chad to bring her down here so they could be alone. A smile curves to Gabriella's face as Troy's lips lean down and gently touch hers. Thankful they finally didn't have to worry about anyone else seeing, Gabriella's hand cups the side of his face as she leans up to him. Troy's other hand that wasn't on the lockers grabs her arm lightly and his thumb draws a circle onto her skin. His tongue was remaining out of her mouth, but the kiss was just as good in the same.

They break apart as Troy's forehead rests against hers. "God… If I didn't do that soon I was pretty sure I was going to explode." He says, making Gabriella smile.

"So… you missed me that much huh?" She asks while lifting her small finger and drawing an invisible mark onto his long-sleeved t-shirt.

"Of course." He responds while leaning down again and connecting their lips. Sparks were flying through her body as this one wasn't as long. He pulls apart after a few seconds and smiles at her. "How was class?"

"Alright." Gabriella shrugs. "How was gym?"

Troy shrugs also. "Alright."

Gabriella bites her bottom lip while looking up at him. "They're not stopping." She says in a small voice as Troy closes his eyes almost as if in pain. His hand runs up and down the side of her arm sending tingles through her body. "Every class."

Troy nods. "I know… it's me too." He says and looks down. Suddenly, Gabriella's eyes grow wide. Why didn't she think of it before? They were so stupid, because it was so obvious!

"Troy… We kissed at New Year's." She says while his eyebrows scrunch a little in a way that Gabriella thinks is adorable.

"Yeah… we did a lot of other things too…"

Gabriella hits his arm. "No! Think about it! We kissed on that dance floor. Troy, someone had to have seen. I know everyone was smashed, but still." She says while leaning her head back against the set of lockers. "That's why everyone's staring. Their finally seeing us together, probably waiting for one of us to slip up and confirm that we're together."

Troy smirks a little. "Wait… we're together?"

Gabriella rolls her eyes and smacks his arm again, making him wince in pain a little. "Troy this is serious! What happens if Liv finds out?" She asks while Troy cocks his head to the side for a moment as though he was thinking about it. Was she overreacting over this? Yes, but how could she not? She didn't want to be thought of as a slut, and now rumors were going around about the two.

"Then she finds out. We can't skate around it forever Gab…" He says and places a piece of hair that had fallen over her face behind her ears. "People are going to find out, and I don think that's a bad thing either."

Gabriella lets out a small sigh. "You think we should tell people huh?"

Troy shrugs his muscular shoulders. "I have no idea. I mean, it's not like it's completely random. People have been asking me if we've been dating secretly since like… eighth grade."

Gabriella's eyes look away from the drowning ocean blue as they glance down for a moment. She could feel Troy's thumb making circle patterns on her skin, sending tingles through her entire body. What if they did tell people? But would it really be them telling people, or would it more be they would just be able to show they were together? She didn't want to hide it, but she couldn't get something out of her mind.

"Troy… Olivia would hate me…" She says softly as Troy takes his two fingers and places them under her chin to lift it up so their eyes meet each other.

"She's not that kind of person and you know it. Besides, she's gonna find out sooner or later." He states while his hand drops a little lower and touches the chain on her neck that held the basketball pendent. "I'm not saying we should have a parade alright?" He says while a small smile on his face that Gabriella copies. "But I wanna be with you, and I want other people to know."

Gabriella's eyes lock on his as she takes a deep breath. "Just… let's get past this week ok?" She says as a small smile curves up to Troy's face.

"I think I can handle that…" He says while his head tilts to the side and their lips connect together in a sweet kiss that Gabriella wouldn't trade for anything.

* * *

**A/N: Not very long or exciting, but I hope you guys still liked it! Thanks for your reviews! They keep me going!**


	36. True Colours

"Where the hell am I going on Saturday?" Gabriella asks through gritted teeth. She could almost feel her breathing was heavy as her lip was twitching a little. The deep brown eyes had clouded over in a blackish look that gave the impression of a storm brewing in them. Her fists were starting to ball as the two girls were looking back at her with scared looks on their faces. Her ears seemed to be letting steam out of them.

"You said you'd come Gabs…" Taylor says slowly, as if trying to coaxes a tiger that was on the loose. Gabriella's hand grips her lock as she could feel the medal almost make its way through her skin as she glares at the two of them. The blonde, who was a lot calmer then Taylor, shakes her head and places a hand onto the white locker next to her.

"It's really not a big deal." She says while flipping her hair to the back of her shoulders. Gabriella's eyes narrow again as she shakes her head.

"Not a big deal? Yeah, that sounds convincing for someone who's had their chauffer take her everywhere. Shar, you've never been there!" Gabriella exclaims while throwing her arms up in the air. 167? Why didn't anyone bother to mention they were going to 167?

It was at the beginning of the day on Thursday, and no one had bothered to mention they were going to Interstate 167 until right at this moment when Sharpay had brought it up. She would have never agreed to this. When did she agree? "Yeah Gabs, and I'm sure miss goody two shoes has been there before." Sharpay says with an eye roll which makes Gabriella's black eyes turn midnight.

"One, you call me good two shoes again and I will slit your throat." She says in a voice that sounds unfamiliar to her own. "And two… I've seen it once, and trust me Shar, your designer flip flops aren't going to be burnt to ashes there."

Sharpay crosses her arms letting out a "humph." Gabriella just rolls her eyes but lets the anger subside. It was true, Gabriella had seen it once when Carlos had to pick something up last year. It was scary, a place that was hunted down by the police but they never seemed to get caught because they were just that good. It was a whole different world down there, a world that was unfamiliar to Gabriella from the quiet suburbs of Albuquerque. Down there, it was dangerous.

"What's going on?" A deeper voice suddenly fills Gabriella's ears as she looks to the side to see that Chad was walking towards them. Zeke, Kelsi, Jason and Olivia were following behind. Her eyes glance to the side to see that Troy was talking to one of the seniors halfway down the hall, but her head immediately locks on Chad's.

"Why the fuck are you going to go to 167?" She asks while crossing her arms.

Chad looks at her stupidly for a moment with his mouth hung open a little bit. "Uh… cuz I want to?" He says with his eyes darting to the side to see if that was the correct answer or not.

Gabriella lets him know by hitting his chest with the back of her hand. He looks at her strangely and rubs the impact spot as Gabriella's heart begins to race faster as her eyes catch her favorite boy walking towards them. "Chad… do you want to get kicked off basketball for good?" She asks while he looks from side to side again.

"Uh… no…" He responds slowly while Gabriella hits his chest again. "Ouch! Would you stop that?"

"Are you stupid?" She asks in response as everyone seems to be laughing at the way Chad rubs his chest. She almost stops breathing as Troy walks up to the other side of Chad and looks at him, then at Gabriella, then back to him.

"You probably deserved it." He says while pointing to his chest as Jason and Kelsi laugh while everyone else was looking at Gabriella with desire to go.

"Come on Gabs, no one is going to catch us alright?" Zeke explains while draping an arm around Sharpay's shoulders.

"It will be fun ok?" Taylor says in a trying to be convincing tone but Gabriella just glares at her all the same.

"What are you talking about?" Troy asks but no one bothers to look at him.

"It doesn't matter. I just won't go. You guys can get expelled all you want." She exclaims while crossing her arms, Troy still having a confused look on his face.

"Wait… what?" He asks again but no one still bothers to explain to him what the argument was about. "Who's getting expelled?"

"No one." Olivia responds, almost shooting Gabriella's anger through the roof. How dare she just butt in and tell Troy who was getting expelled or not? Wait, what was she saying? It wasn't that big of a deal, she really needed to calm down. "Please Gabriella, I really want you to come." She begs with the brown in her eyes twinkling. Why did she want to go so bad, she'd probably never heard of the word "drag race".

"Gabs, if you don't go I'm kidnapping you and you WILL have to call the police." Chad says as Troy just rolls his eyes annoyed.

"Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" He begs as Gabriella's arms suddenly soften. Just looking at the tan skin, the perfect blue eyes and the way his hair was flipped out above his ears seem to calm her down.

"They're trying to get me to go to 167." She says while feeling her stomach do a summersault while locking the deep brown with the piercing blue.

Troy's mouth forms in a smirk as everyone seems to be looking at him. "Oh fuck Gab, if I'm going… your going."

Gabriella's eyes that had turned back to deep brown when they looked at Troy were now clouded over in a storm again as her mouth twitches. "I'm not going."

Troy raises his eyebrows amused. She could feel the light pair of brown eyes on him, but hers didn't dare leave his to look at Olivia. He lets out a small breath as he shrugs a little. "Oh well, your loss." He says as everyone's eyes grow wide.

"Captain…" Chad starts to say as Troy shakes his head slightly, not letting his eyes leave hers.

"If she doesn't want to go, no one's making her." There was something not right going on. Usually Troy was the one who pushed her to do things that were a bit on the wild side. But this time, he just shrugs again but has a smirk on his face. "She doesn't have to go."

A sigh erupts from Gabriella's mouth. "Err… Thanks." She says a little awkwardly, trying to read though smirk that was on his face.

Almost as if on cue, the bell rings in the distant and Gabriella shuts her locker slowly. The rest the gang turns to walk towards homeroom. Gabriella takes one step forward, but suddenly feels a hand on her shoulder. She looks to the side to see Troy's eyes were staring straight ahead to see that both Chad and Olivia were looking back at the two. Gabriella suddenly feels guilt hit her stomach as she looks at the longing in Olivia's eyes. "Dude… you coming?"

"I forgot something in my locker. We'll catch up." He says while turning around and grabbing Gabriella's arm. She looks up at him confused.

"Uh… Troy?" She asks though he doesn't answer. They seemed to be going completely against the crowd that was trying to make their way in the opposite direction, but all of their eyes seemed to be looking back at the two. Gabriella's hand grabs the rubber band on her wrist as she seems to meet all of the looking eyes. "Troy… where are we going? We're gonna be late."

"You'll see." The hallway seems to skim out as they continue down. Troy turns a corner, where she sees one or two people running down the hallway to get to class on time. Just as one boy turns the corner, the bell rings and Gabriella's eyes grow wide. He suddenly stops and opens a random door.

"Troy, Darbus is going to flip a…" She never finishes what she was going to say, because in that moment, Troy's arm throws her into the empty class room. The lights were off but the sun was shining through the closed blinds. Immediately, Gabriella turns on her heels to look at him. "Are you insane?"

"Probably." He says just before his hand grabs hers and pulls her body to him. Gabriella's eyes grow wide for a moment before their lips connect together. Her eyes reflexively close as her arms wrap around his neck, suddenly getting where he was going with this. "This… beats Darbus… any day." He whispers in between two closed mouth kisses.

Their lips dance together in a slow, yet electrifying way that only Troy could do. Gabriella could already feel shock waves running through her body as he backs her up slowly, refusing to giver her what she wanted and keeps his tongue out of her mouth, but lets Gabriella sit up on the desk as she wraps her legs around him. "Troy… we're gonna get in trouble…" She says like she used to when he would convince her to do dangerous things when he was five.

Troy smirks against her lips as his hand grabs the back of her head. "You sound like that time when I took you to the river…"

Gabriella giggles a little while he finally lets his lips part and gently slides his tongue into her mouth. "You tried to kill me that day." She says while taking a breath and closing her eyes again to enjoy the sensation of Troy's hands running up and down her sides.

Troy shakes his head as his tongue traces the openings of her lips. "I wouldn't have let you fallen in." He says while his eyes close again as his bottom lip squeezes hers a little. "Please come." He begs and Gabriella's face scrunches a little, even though Troy was kissing her lips.

"Come where?" She asks while her hands play with the little hairs on the back of his neck.

"To 167." He responds while breaking their lips apart and placing kisses onto her neck. Gabriella moans in response and couldn't help but push his head to her neck further.

"Troy… I won't. It's dangerous… and if we get caught…" She tries to say while his head comes around and rests on her forehead so she could stare into his drowning eyes.

"I'll protect you." He whispers and places another soft kiss onto his lips. "Please Gab…"

Gabriella bites her bottom lip. At first, her answer is no. There was no way she was going to risk going there. She had seen it, and it was scary. She could honestly say she had never seen anything that scary in her life. Plus, she wanted control. It would always circle back to control. Troy was trying to persuade her to do something she wasn't so sure about. She needed to take control of the situation. She had to.

But then another thought comes to her head. What happens when Troy's there, alone, with Olivia? She trusted him, more then anything, but her heart was starting to sink just thinking about it. Of course she trusted him, but it just still made her uneasy. Gabriella finally looks down and nods. "Ok… whatever."

A beam breaks out onto Troy's face as her control begins to fall down the drains. She bites her bottom lip again right before Troy presses his lips to hers. It didn't matter if it was going to be scary. She'd be with Troy, so everything would be ok… right? That's how things were supposed to be right? Troy's hand grabs the back of her head again and she feels her eyes close while her arms try to pull Troy's neck closer.

Troy's tongue was just about to slip inside Gabriella's mouth when suddenly; a squeak erupts in the room. "Mr. Gorbson, I was wondering if I could extend the assignment…" A voice rings into the room and Troy and Gabriella's lips suddenly freeze. "Oh my God!" The same voice lets out.

Gabriella's stomach drops forty feet as her head immediately rips away from Troy's. Standing in the doorway were two sophomores who looked like they had just seen a ghost. Gabriella's eyes were the size of saucers as Troy immediately backs away from her as though it would help. The other girl who hadn't said anything before opens her mouth stupidly. "I uh… we're… sorry…" She manages to get out before the two of them look at each other and sprint off in the other direction.

"Shit…" Troy mumbles while running a hand through his hair. His piercing blue eyes look over and land on Gabriella's deep brown which had a scared look in them.

So much for waiting a week.

* * *

"It happened four hours ago, how the hell does the whole school know?" Gabriella whispers as every single pair of eyes seem to be on her. She crosses her legs on the choir chair while glancing at Kelsi who was pretending to listen to something Ms. Darbus was ranting about. But the small black haired girl couldn't concentrate. She couldn't believe the two girls walked in on her and Troy. How could this happen? The deep brown color remains looking at her lap as she couldn't meet anyone in the room's stare. Especially the pair of light brown eyes that she could almost feel burning into her skull.

"Time is of the essence, and every rehearsal and class period are vital…"

"It's high school Gabs…" Kelsi tries to explain but that just makes Gabriella's stomach drop even further. "You couldn't expect it to stay quiet for that long could you?"

Gabriella shrugs with a small pout on her face. "I tried."

A sigh comes from Kelsi as Gabriella continues not to look up. She was going to hate her. Olivia was literally going to rip out her organs and stomp on them. Gabriella didn't eat lunch with everyone, since she hadn't eaten though it wasn't unlikely for her to skip meals still when she was stressed. Taylor had tried to calm her down during lunch, but it didn't seem to be helping. The white in Gabriella's eyes had officially turned to a pale red color, but she refused to let tears slip down her face. She couldn't stand the staring. "So… is she trying to kill me with her eyes?" Gabriella asks while still keeping her head down.

Kelsi pauses for a moment before as Gabriella tilts her head to the side a little to see the small girl looking out to the other side of the room. "No… her eyes are a little red though, but no worse then yours."

Gabriella's stomach sinks again. She was a bad friend. The worst. How could she do this? Olivia was going to hate her, and probably never talk to her again. How could this happen? She knew nothing good was going to come of everyone knowing. But what scared her the most is the fact that she was now emotionally attached to Troy. She wasn't going to give him up, not for anything. Even if everyone thought she was a slut now.

"Alright, take some time to practice your solos now and just free your mind from all other objects." Darbus states in her dreamy voice as immediately everyone gets up and the gossip starts. Gabriella's eyes finally lift up to see that a couple of girls were pointing to her already. But then the deep brown lock on the small girl across the class room who was looking around as though confused. She had to talk to her. She couldn't let Olivia hate her. As frustrated as she was before, she really did want to be friends with Olivia now that she had Troy. She had to say something.

"I'll be right back." Gabriella mumbles to Kelsi who just stares up at her for a moment. Her eyes never leave Olivia's back even though she could hear others talking in the distant.

"_They saw them in the classroom…"_

"…_His tongue was in her mouth…"_

"_Jenny said she thought she saw them kissing at New Year's."_

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as Olivia's small body turns around. Gabriella's eyes open again as Olivia's mouth hangs open a little. It was evident through her light brown eyes that she had been crying earlier. She has an unreadable expression on her face, but Gabriella was just waiting for her to blow up and point to her calling her a slut. It seems like everyone in the room stops talking and looks at the two. Troy's old girl and Troy's new girl. Well, technically she wasn't new; she had been there all along. They were expecting what Gabriella was, a cat fight. "Um… hey… could I like… talk to you for a second."

Olivia's mouth continues to hang open stupidly. If Gabriella wasn't petrified she was going to hate her, she probably would have laughed. But she bites her glossed bottom lip and closes her eyes. "Um… sure I guess."

Relief spreads through Gabriella's body. Well, at least she would talk to her. It may end up in Olivia never talking to Gabriella again, but at least it would be something. A small smile erupts on Gabriella's face as she turns towards the larger woman with wispy blonde hair. "Ms. Darbus, Olivia needs help on one of her songs, could we go in the hallway and work on it?" Gabriella says in the sweetest, sucking up voice possible.

Ms. Darbus lowers her glasses but gives Gabriella a small smile. "Just don't be too loud." She says while Gabriella smiles again. But that smile fades as she realizes, this couldn't come out good.

They walk into the hallway and Gabriella immediately shuts the door to hide the eyes that were on the two girls. No one else was there, so she turns slowly around to see that Olivia still had an unreadable expression on her face. "Yes?" She says in a trying to be controlling voice, but Gabriella could tell she was trying her hardest not to yell.

"So um… you've heard haven't you?" Gabriella says in a small voice, looking at the ground unable to meet Olivia's eyes.

"…Julia told me third hour." She says while crossing her arms.

Gabriella's eyes glance up, but couldn't hold her stare. "I'm so sorry Liv… I didn't want it to come out that way and I just… I'm so sorry." She says while finally lifting up her head to see that Olivia was biting the side of her cheek.

"Um… how long?" Olivia asks in a small voice that wasn't threatening to yell, making Gabriella feel guiltier.

Gabriella bites her bottom lip for a moment. "Um… since Christmas…" She says trying to soften it by not making it sound like they had a thing while she and Troy were going out. Olivia's eyes shut almost as though in pain and Gabriella bites her bottom lip again. She hated her. She completely hated her and there was nothing else to it. "Liv, I'm so sorry. I just… it just happened and… I know you hate me, and are probably never going to talk to me again… but I just wanted to say I'm so sorry and I never, ever wanted you to be hurt."

Silence fills the air as it seems like Gabriella could hear her heart beating against her chest rapidly as her eyes were looking at Olivia. She seems to be thinking things through as she slowly opens her mouth. "I don't hate you…" She says slowly, in a soft voice that didn't sound angry. "I mean… I dated him… I know how addicting he is."

Gabriella smiles softly at this. She knew exactly how addicting Troy was. "I deserve you to scream at me and call me a slut." She says while grabbing the rubber band and snapping it slowly.

Olivia lets out a small laugh as she shakes her head. "No… I guess I knew all along…" She says while glancing at the ground. "I just really didn't want to see it."

Gabriella smiles softly again, knowing exactly how she felt. "Yeah… I know what you mean…"

Olivia nods as she looks up again and connects her eyes. They were so similar, yet so different that it was hard to explain. "I'm not happy." Olivia says honestly. "And I'm not going to lie, right now I can't say I'm happy for you. Or want it to work out." Gabriella's stomach drops a little, though she knows she can't expect anything more.

"I deserve that." Gabriella says.

Olivia smiles softly again. "But I guess I just have to get used to the fact that it will work." She says while letting out a small sigh.

Suddenly, a ringing enters Gabriella's ears, letting her know it was the end of the period. Students suddenly start to file out as the door to Darbus' room opens and it seems that everyone was staring at the two. "I guess that's all I can ask for." Gabriella says while Olivia gives her a small knowing smile.

It was now out in the open, she and Troy were an idem.

Both Olivia and Gabriella turn towards the hallway and begin walking in silence, not saying anything because there was nothing to say. Gabriella tries to put on a confident face as all eyes were on the two girls who were wordless. They turn down the junior hallway and Gabriella watches as it seems every pair of eyes turn to her. Including a pair of piercing blue that have confusion written in them. The two petite girls make it to where a few feet away from Troy as Olivia gives Gabriella a small nod, though she doesn't have a small on her face. Not that Gabriella would expect her to. It was almost a nod saying that it was done; there was nothing else to it.

"Is she pissed?" A deep voice enters Gabriella ears as Olivia walks away. She looks up to meet the pair of piercing blue eyes.

"Yeah… but you can't expect anything less." She says while smiling up at Troy.

He wiggles his eyebrows a little while all eyes were on them. Gabriella was trying not to look, but it seems like everyone was holding their breaths in anticipation to see what was going to happen with them. "So what now?"

Gabriella smirks. "We go to study hall like always."

Troy smiles as they turn in the other direction. Their steps were in sync as her hand brushes up against Troy's. He slowly reaches down and takes it, not caring that everyone's mouth seems to drop. Their fingers lace reflexively as he looks down at her as though asking permission to show PDA. Gabriella lets a smile play on her lips as she nods a little, hearing a random yell she didn't recognize in the distance that makes the smile grow into a grin.

"It's about fucking time!"


	37. Life is a Highway

**A/N: So I know Life Is A Highway wasn't written in the '80s, but I thought it would fit anyways. Thanks so much for reading! Your reviews are amazing!**

* * *

Troy was getting addicted, and they had been there for three minutes.

Something about the sound of screeching tires. Something about the way it smelled like burnt rubber and gasoline. The head lights that were blinding as the piercing blue eyes were going wide with excitement. Maybe it was the cheering as two cars speed down the highway, coxing them on since they needed all the adrenaline they could get. His male hormones were shooting through the roof as the smile couldn't be whipped of his face while they walked out on the lone highway towards were all the other cars were parked. Troy was almost getting hard just looking at them. There was something that was such a turn on about cars to guys. Something no one really knew why, but this was better then anything he had ever seen before.

It was obvious that the girl whose hand was squeezing his so tight he was sure it was going to bruise his knuckles wasn't feeling the same way.

"Holy shit!" Chad exclaims as they walk up to where the other cars were parked and people were cheering. Troy's adrenaline was flying and he wasn't even in the cars. "Fuck, did you see that?"

Troy's eyes look up to see that people were cheering as the two cars completely skid as they cross the finish line. And these weren't just cars. They were godly. Their sides were painted with flames; they were basically built for speed. It was the seven of them, since like normal Kelsi didn't want to come and Jason said he'd stay with her. Olivia still came, even though Troy could see she was glancing at him and Gabriella every once in awhile. It wasn't like they were making out or anything. They hadn't even kissed since they got out of the truck. But then again, Gabriella hadn't said a word either.

When they were younger, it was almost as though they would share pain. He could remember this one time where he fell off his bike. They were five, and he completely tore up his knee cap so there was no skin covering it. After his mother patched him up, she turned around to see that Gabriella was sobbing and holding her own knee. It was one of those moments. Troy could almost feel the nervous feeling in her stomach in his own. But it was killed by the adrenaline that was going through Troy's veins.

Though this exciting for Troy, the scene looked a little intimidating. Besides drinking, Troy never really did anything bad or rebellious. This though, this was different. The only lights that could be seen were coming from the headlights of the cars that were watching the two cars pull up to two white lines even with each other. From what he could see, bodies were draped across the hoods of the cars. Girls, even though the weather was cold and he was wearing a red warm up jacket over his long-sleeved dark gray t-shirt, were wearing bikini tops with just leather jackets over them. The six of them suddenly were dressed out of place. The guys there were wearing baggy jeans and long jackets. He didn't want to make assumptions, but the didn't seem to have a lot of money. Gabriella seemed to be the only smart one, since she was wearing gray sweatpants and a tight dark blue long-sleeved t-shirt.

"Look at what we got here." A sudden deep voice says and Troy suddenly feels his body tense up. Walking towards them was a huge guy, tall and fat, with what looked like tattoos written down his entire arms. He looks at the seven of them and laughs a deep, maniacal laugh that made Troy sick to his stomach. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea…

"You lost rich asses?" An African American says with huge muscles that were bigger then Troy ever wanted his to be. He walks behind the big white guy smirking. His eyes look to Sharpay, who was wearing a bright pink jacket even after Gabriella begged her not to and tight jeans. "Get the fuck out… you don't belong here."

"They're with me." Another voice rings out and the white knuckled grip Gabriella had on Troy's hand relaxes the slightest bit. Troy could feel his own heart beating faster as he looks to see for the first time in his life, Sharpay actually looked scared, since she was now pulled tightly against Zeke's arm. His eyes then move to see that a tan familiar boy was walking to them. He lets out a sigh in relief, as Gabriella seems to be breathing again also. "Hey cuz…?" Carlos says while smiling at Gabriella, then the rest of them, Troy catching his longing look on Olivia. What? "Follow me."

Troy gladly walks away from the other two guys who were almost growling at them. The rest follows, though Troy could feel Gabriella's body closely on his back. She still hadn't said anything, even when her cousin showed up which makes Troy nervous. Was she really that scared? He couldn't deny that he was back there too. But was she going to be angry for him convincing her to come? The eight of them finally stop in front of a blue car with white flames running down the sides. He lets out a small breath when he sees Miles and Tony. Actually people who weren't giving him the stare down.

"Man what's up?" Miles asks while doing the guy handshake with Chad and Zeke. Troy would have, except he didn't want to let go of Gabriella's hand right now, since her knees seem to be shaking. Troy could also see Tony look Sharpay up and down again, even though he had a dark and thin girl on his arm. There was another pale girl who was wearing a sports bra with a jacket over it standing behind Miles, looking the girls up and down threateningly. Carlos was empty handed.

"Welcome to 167!" Carlos exclaims and almost as if on cue, two cars take off from the start line. Troy's eyes look up to see them speeding down the asphalt, probably hitting over a hundred miles an hour. He could hear the roar of the engines as they sped down the road. A grin bursts to his face, suddenly forgetting completely about the people here that wanted to rip his head off. He wasn't used to it, since normally most people praised Troy Bolton.

"Fuck Zeke did you see that!" Chad exclaims in the dark while the bright yellow car cuts off the black one off. Zeke nods, his eyes also wide as Chad lets go of Taylor's hand.

But Troy's smile falters for a moment while he feels a shaking body at his side. He turns for the first time to see Gabriella's hair was pinned back half way. The headlights of the cars made her skin look pale and her eyes wide in fear, but he couldn't help still think she was the most stunning thing he had ever seen in his life. "Are you cold?" He asks while ripping his eyes away from the screaming cars. Gabriella's deep brown orbs leave the streets also as she looks up at Troy and nods.

He gives her a small comforting smile while taking off his red warm up for basketball and turning around. He had to place his hand on a dark car next to him since it was so black he couldn't see a thing. But Troy gently slips the jacket on Gabriella's shoulders, giving her a kiss on the top of her hair in the process. He didn't even notice the look of jealousy in Olivia's eyes as his arms wrap around her small waist. His chin rests on her shoulder as her head leans back to him, obviously feeling safer in Troy's arms then anywhere else in the world.

"Fuck that shit!" The driver who lost yells as he gets out of the car. He angrily looks out to the crowd who was booing him. Gabriella's body tightens again as Troy tries to pull her closer. He let the guilt settle into his veins from dragging Gabriella to somewhere she didn't want to go, but he couldn't help it. The fumes from the gasoline were intoxicating. He couldn't leave; it was like he was getting addicted to a drug. Slowly but surely.

"So where's Rosa?" Gabriella's voice comes out and Troy couldn't help but notice that she didn't say anything to him; she was talking to her cousin.

Carlos shrugs while glancing back at the light brown eyes that had Troy so entranced just a few months ago. Though he felt no feelings of jealousy whatsoever. He looks back to his cousin with a small smirk. "We broke up. She couldn't handle me."

Miles rolls his eyes. "Whatever man you dumped her!"

Troy glances back to see Olivia's head perk up. He narrows his eyes a little in confusion. What? Didn't they only meet once? "It doesn't matter." Carlos shrugs again and Troy looks back to him while trying his hardest to pull Gabriella closer, but she physically couldn't get any closer. Her body was formed perfectly to fit his from the back as he attempts to nuzzle her neck a little, while Gabriella's forehead gently grazes his.

"Who wants to get raped next?" Someone yells from the center of the cars. Troy looks over to see a tall, African American with muscles that bulge out of his body. Note to self, do not mess with that guy.

"Are they all… ex-murders?" Zeke asks slowly as he wraps his arm around Sharpay's shoulders tighter.

Tony rolls his eyes. "Nah… that's just Samuels." He states, Troy wracking his brain to his drunken New Year's Eve where they were complaining about a guy name Samuels. "The fucker thinks he owns the place." Tony says with venom laced in his voice. It seems that this guy wasn't one to mess around with.

"He practically does. You know how tricked out his ride is!" Carlos exclaims while throwing his hands up.

"Have… you ever raced him?" Olivia's voice could be heard as Carlos smiles while looking back at her.

"Once. And I lost. No one beats him. No one has the guts to." Carlos explains as the piercing blue eyes look to the beady black. Chad was hanging onto Taylor's hand but was looking back at Troy with a smirk on his face. They were both thinking the same thing. Both of their male egos were shooting through the roof. The drug was pulling Troy in. Something inside him wanted to race the guy. His dad had taught him a little about cars, but he didn't know anything about racing. It couldn't be that hard, just go fast right? He knew how to drive stick, which most of these cars were. So I'd be fun to try to beat the best right? Was that how every opponent was when they crossed paths with Troy on the court?

"How about you rich bitches?" Samuels asks and Troy actually gets a chill down his spine as the guy turns to them. He was smirking a little as all eyes suddenly landed on them.

"Dude… I wanna do it!" Chad exclaims as Troy's face frowns a little. His stomach drops. He wanted to be the one to try it first. He was the captain of their team right? Shouldn't he have a go at everything first?

There was cheering and Carlos, Miles, and Tony suddenly have smirks on their faces. "Hell no Chad!" Taylor protests. "You're not doing anything."

As the tall dark guy walks towards them, Troy notices the way his hair was completely shaven, with a tattoo going up his skull. He had three other huge guys behind him, with a girl at his side that looked like she was a stripper and she was looking Troy up and down. His eyes were deep, beady and black as he stops in front of them. When his lips part in a crooked smile, there was a center tooth missing in the front. Gabriella immediately spins around in Troy's arms and wraps hers around his neck for him to protect her, Troy hanging onto her waist reflexively. The piercing blue eyes narrow. He wanted game. Even if this guy could rip apart his body with his pinky. Troy's competitive side was starting to show.

"You wanna play bitch?" He asks while spitting in front of Chad. Chad's black eyes narrow in the way that Troy has only seen them right before they're about to play their rivals, West High. "Or maybe you should listen to your chick. She's fucking hot enough to know you shouldn't mess with the big boys."

Chad's eyes become a black storm at the sound of him intimidating his girlfriend and he had a sick smile on his face looking at Taylor. She grabs his arm and tries to pull him back. "Chad… come on stop this!"

"Troy, do something!" Gabriella says in his ear, but Troy couldn't move. So badly he wanted to be in Chad's spot. He wanted to race this guy. He wanted to win. But if he couldn't do it, his best guy friend was the next best thing.

"Where's your piece of shit anyways?" Samuels asks while looking for a car and Tony immediately steps forward.

"He'll take my ride." He says while patting Chad on the back.

The huge guy's sick smile curves again. "You got yourself a race."

Cheers and honks erupt from the rest of the cars at the sound. Chad's mouth smirks as Taylor's eyes grow wide. "I can't watch this… I can't watch this…"

"Tay, relax. I'll be fine." Chad says while Tony opens the door to his car. Troy's eyes narrow again. He wanted to be in that position. He wanted to drive. He wanted it more then anything right now. But Chad's eyes move to Troy so he has to put his jealousy away for a moment. "Bolton… you're gonna ride with me right?"

A smirk immediately forms on Troy's face. Well, if he couldn't be in the drivers seat, he could at least get into the passenger's. He opens his mouth to answer, but then some other sound rings through the air first. "Fuck no."

Troy's eyes grow wide as he looks down at Gabriella. Her thin black eyebrows were narrowed and set on the piercing blue. No. He needed to go. He was craving the feel of going against the law. He wanted to feel what 160 mph felt like. How could she do this to him? Her eyes were sparkling as she was beginning him desperately. Her face suddenly became even more beautiful then he had ever seen in his life. Her smooth skin glowing in the headlights, her lips puffy yet so kissable. Everything "What?"

Gabriella gorgeous mouth opens up, Troy almost holding himself back from placing his lips onto hers. He always knew she was gorgeous, but why all of the sudden was he getting this rise? "You're not going." She says in a threatening tone, letting Troy realize why he was seeing her like this. It was a test. The first test of addiction. Half of him was telling him tempting him to choose to stay with Gabriella. But the other half, the one he wanted to listen to, was about to tell her to piss off and go ride with Chad. "I'm not going to watch you die."

"I'm not gonna die Gab…" Troy says with venom in his voice. He was temped to shove her off and just take off with Chad, and tell him he's driving.

"Troy, no." She orders as the side of Troy's mouth twitches.

Troy's eyes narrow angrily as he lets go of Gabriella and sits down on the hood of the car behind him. A monster was suddenly fuming inside him. Fuck her. "Let me know how it is." He grumbles as Chad lets out a sigh. He was pissed. He wanted to do it, but the sensible side was taking over. Gabriella's side was taking over.

"You sure man?" Chad asks, still grinning like a little kid on Christmas. Troy's eyes narrow even more. The guy with the afro nods in understanding. "Zeke, let's go."

Troy could feel the fire run through his veins as he watches Tony pull his green car with dark blue stripes on the side down towards the curb. Chad and Zeke run towards it while cheers were still erupting from the crowd. Sharpay, Taylor, and Olivia all walk over to where Carlos and Miles were standing. He couldn't look at her. He could feel the eyes on him in the blackness, but he refused to look at her outline. His eyes were just narrowed on the green and bright yellow cars that were lining up to the start line. "He's going to die. Shar, how can you be fine with this?"

Troy was barely listening. How could she do this to him? She had to have known this was something he really wanted. Was he being immature about it? Probably. But it didn't matter. He wanted to race, and that was all he cared about right now. "He'll survive. Go Zeke!" She screams as though it was a basketball game and everyone but Troy looks at her like she was crazy. "What?"

He watches with envy as Chad gets into the driver's seat and Zeke gets into the passenger's seat. "Does he have a chance at all?" Olivia's sweet voice fills the air as Troy could almost feel his fists clench. He knows Gabriella's watching his every move, but he didn't care.

"No way." Carlos' voice responds. "Samuels move is to cut them off early at the turn around. They always start on the left. Everyone turns right, because it's faster. But if he takes the turn a few seconds earlier. Even if you try to beat it, he cuts in front of you. So its either let him win or your ride flips."

Troy watches from the safety of the hood of the car while a girl wearing barely a bikini walks to the center of the road. He knew Gabriella's eyes were still on him, so his eyebrows rise as though he was interested in the girl. He knew Gabriella was aware he was trying to piss her off, but he could almost hear her eye roll. "Ready?" The girl's voice screams while she smirks. "Go!"

The roar of both engines blare in Troy's ears, making this so much harder. He watches as the green car immediately takes off, with the yellow one just a few feet behind. They travel down the road, the noise of the engines starting to fade away. Jealousy was stretching through his veins. Chad had to be going at least 120.

"Stop it Troy." The voice of angels says while Troy's eyes were staring longingly at the green car that was off in the distance now.

He didn't want to talk to her, so he doesn't look at her but could feel her presence right next to him. "I don't need you to protect me Gabriella." He says with anger laced into his voice. His eyes squint to try to find the car that had now disappeared. "I can handle myself thanks."

He could almost feel the daggers come from Gabriella's eyes. "And you wanna know what I don't' need Troy? You in the fucking hospital because of your stupid male ego."

This makes the piercing blue eyes finally rip from the road. They look up to meet the deep brown that had concern laced with them. She knew. She knew he was getting addicted to this. But it wasn't bad! It wasn't like he was the people out in the corner smoking pot! He just wanted to race, what was the harm in that? "It's innocent Gab…"

Gabriella laughs almost hysterically. "Innocent Troy? _Innocent_?" She asks with poison spilling out of her mouth as she says the word. "Oh yeah, it's real innocent. Fuck Troy I'm not letting you die early. Or wind up in jail."

Troy's eyes narrow for a moment before he hears another round of cheering. "Here they come!" His eyes shoot back to the road to see the yellow car at least four-hundred feet in front of the green. If he was in the car, he would have been in front of Samuels. He would have driven better then Chad. He would have gotten it.

"Whatever Gabriella." He says her full name. "I don't need my girlfriend making decisions for me alright?"

But the moment it slips out, Troy's eyes look up to see Gabriella's grow wide. Girlfriend. He had never said the word before. Never once had he said Gabriella was his girlfriend. The anger that was once laced into her eyes disappears as suddenly a swell of happiness erupts in them. Troy, just seeing the small smile on her face now, feels his own mouth form into a smile. "Dude, he just got killed!" Miles says in the distance, but Troy for the first time wasn't paying attention to the race. His eyes were locked on Gabriella's and they wouldn't be taken off anytime soon.

But Gabriella's face becomes slightly hard for a moment. "Um…I'm your girlfriend now?" She says while trying to be mad from before, but Troy could tell that she was trying her hardest to keep the smile off her face.

Troy smirks as he grabs her hips, sending shockwaves through his hands. Gabriella's smile beams like the headlights as Chad and Zeke were walking towards them, Chad obviously pissed off. "Fuck that. I'll get him next time."

"Well… yeah." He says with a sheepish smile on his face. He leans his forehead against hers and lets his nose rub against hers for a moment, trying his hardest to force out the images of the cars that kept popping in his brain. Focus on Gabriella. Don't smell the gas. Just focus on her sweet scent. "If you wanna be…"

Gabriella smiles softly as she tilts her head and lets her lips connect to his. Troy closes his eyes and gently feels her lips squeezing his own. This should have been a happy moment, but he couldn't get the poisonous feelings of wanting to race out of his head. "You know me better to think I'd say no." She says after they pull apart.

She wraps her arms around his neck as he pulls her close to him on the hood of the car. His nose was digging into her hair, trying to take the gasoline scent out and replace it with the smell of vanilla. He was also trying to blind himself of the headlight and concentrate on the beauty in front of him. The screech of tires had to be replaced by the sound of Gabriella's heart beat. But no matter how much he tried, the drug was pulling him in. He had to race… and no one, not even the girl in his arms was going to stop him.

His name was Troy Alexander Bolton. And he was officially addicted to street racing.

Even if he didn't do it… yet.


	38. I Want You to Want Me

**A/N: So, I just want to say, I know a lot of people didn't like the direction I took this, but please stick with me. I hope you see that I do have a purpose for this. THanks for the reviews!**

* * *

He was scaring her.

She couldn't describe it. There was a different look in his eyes. Though it was evident through all of the guys, his was the worst. The piercing blue were suddenly swimming with excitement all the time. She could see the glint of the red stone on his finger wave up and down as he seemed to tap his fingers constantly. He had a nervous/excited look to him all the time. And as he's sitting behind her in study hall tapping his pencil on his notebook, Gabriella couldn't help but get the sick feeling in the bottom of her stomach.

Like she said, the rest of the guys seemed to have this same effect. Chad was still pissed about not winning like he was expecting to. Zeke seemed to be more excited also, and every time someone turned on the engine of a car, he seemed to have jumped with excitement. Jason was the only one who was acting normal, but it was evident that he missed out on the action on Saturday night. He wanted it too. But Gabriella had no idea why.

Gabriella small body turns around to see Troy's tan skin was looking a little pale. His eyes remain down at the notebook, but he didn't seem to be looking at anything. She could see the look in his eyes, and it wasn't for her. Was she jealous? Yes. Before if Troy was staring off into space, she was normally positive he was thinking about her. But now, she was certain all he had on his mind was something that had an engine. Where was the jock she was used to? Where was the basketball obsessed boy? Where was HER Troy?

"Troy… Troy come on wake up!" Gabriella says in a low voice since the rest of the study hall was talking. Her small hand grabs his forearm and gently rubs it up and down. His eyes immediately snap up. They look different, and Gabriella couldn't help but cringe as they lock on the deep brown.

Troy flicks his hair a little so it was out of his eyes. "Sorry… I spaced out there." He says but doesn't make any motion to touch Gabriella.

Deep down, she knew what was bothering her the most. It was the fact that Troy drag racing was out of her control. She couldn't control if he took a wrong spin and crashed, ending up in the hospital. She couldn't' take it. It was all back to her control issue. The one that would really never go away. Never. Not until she got it.

"Yeah… you've been doing that a lot lately." She says with a slight pain in her voice as Troy's eyebrows narrow a little. Her eyes were trying to beg for her Troy to come back, not this Troy.

Her body turns around so she facing the front as she hears a sigh from behind her. "Sorry ok? I've just… got a lot on my mind." He says while placing a hand on her shoulder. Gabriella immediately lets the shock waves course through her body. No. It wasn't going to be that easy.

"Like what? Cars?" She asks while immediately spinning around and letting her eyes narrow. Troy's widen for a moment before he shakes his head.

"No… I just… uh… practice tonight." He tries to cover up as Gabriella shakes her head. She needed to get back into control. Desperately.

"Really?" She says while Troy's face gets a little red from getting caught. "Troy, this needs to stop… now."

Troy's eyes narrow again and cloud over in a small dark blue storm. "You don't get it…"

Gabriella shakes her head. "Yes I do ok? Carlos was the same way and now look at him!" She says while throwing her arms up in the air. "It was something so simple as racing once."

Troy shrugs. "You love Carlos."

"I know. But I don't love what he does. And you're not Carlos. You're Troy Bolton. You're basketball god. Troy… be serious. I'm not watching you fall to this ok? Not on my watch." She says while Troy shakes his head and leans forward.

"Maybe if you'd let me do it just once." He says with a passion in his voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. She wanted to say what was on her mind though. So much more then stupid car racing. "Just one time Gab…"

Gabriella's eyes narrow again as she shakes her head. "No. Maybe you should help me with more important things, like coming up with a way to tell my dad!"

Troy rolls his eyes. "He hates me… end of story."

Gabriella angrily narrows her eyes. "He doesn't hate you for the thousandth time. And maybe if you'd stop obsessing over cars we could figure out a way to tell him together. You know, as a _couple_. But I understand if you're too busy for me or whatever."

She faces the front of the room and suddenly hears Troy sigh again. "Gab… I didn't mean…"

"Yeah Troy, whatever." She spits back as she crosses her arms, trying not to let the tears that were burning in her eyes slip down her face.

"How were you thinking about doing it?" Troy asks in the soft voice that Gabriella missed for the past couple days. But she still angrily shrugs her shoulders and continues to face the front. Gabriella told her mother on Sunday that they were official. Mrs. Montez assumed something was going on, but wasn't exactly sure what it was. But her dad? She had thought to keep that a secret until the right time, when he was in a good mood.

"It doesn't matter right? He doesn't have an engine so why would you care about it?" She asks in a sarcastic tone that was probably pushing things, but she was extremely scared.

"Gabriella. Stop it ok?" He warns as she shakes her head slightly.

The sound of the bell suddenly fills the air as Gabriella immediately gets up from the seat she was sitting in. She doesn't wait for Troy to catch up before smiling at Cody and walking towards the door. "Gab! Gab stop!" She hears his voice yell as she gets out into the crowded hallway and starts to make it towards her locker. "Gabriella stop." His perfect voice says as she was suddenly stopped. He was standing in front of her now with his hands out right over her chest to keep her from going anywhere. "Please stop? Please, I want to figure something out ok?"

Gabriella crosses her arms and looks at him with anger still in her eyes. "You just saying that so I won't be pissed?" She asks as Troy immediately shakes his head, not even giving it any thought.

"No… I want to do it right." He says with the small hint of desperation in his voice.

Gabriella lets out a sigh. "Fine. Come over for dinner tonight. We'll tell him then. Maybe he won't blow up if your face like he would if I was alone." She says, still angry.

Troy seems to sigh in relief as he attempts to move out of the way and grab her hand, but she refuses. "Er… right." He says, probably not sure what else he could say at that moment. "And… I'm sorry I guess." He almost has to jog to keep up with her strides that were fierce and mean.

"Yeah? You guess?" She spits out as they make it to her locker which she grabs the locker for and spins it immediately.

Troy sighs as he gently touches her upper arm. "I am sorry. You just… you know how it is when it's something new and exciting right?" He tries to explain.

This only makes Gabriella angry as she throws her books in her locker and grabs her bag. The deep brown storm look up to see Troy was trying to put on a convincing smile. "New and exciting right? Something new like trying to loose five pounds and how exciting it gets when you do? But in reality you're a fucking eighty-four pounds?" She says with her eyebrows raised, trying to get this through Troy's skull that his new obsession was dangerous.

Troy narrows his eyes a little. "It's not the same." He states while Gabriella shakes her head.

"You're right Troy. Mine would have been a slow and painful death." She says while shaking her head slightly. "Yours will be a fast and immediate flip of a car." She states while Troy stands there with nothing to say. "I'll see you at six-thirty." She says while turning on her heels and walking away.

* * *

Troy couldn't keep his legs still.

They were shaking, along with the rest of his body. For two main reasons. One: He was sitting at the kitchen table with the guy who hated him. He tires his hardest not to look up at the eyes that matched Gabriella's perfect ones. What if this didn't go right? What if Mr. Montez told him he didn't want him ever seeing Gabriella again? This could be bad. No, this could be worse then bad. This could be a complete disaster. He needed Gabriella. He needed her and couldn't live without her.

Second: Chad just texted him that even though it was a Friday night, he, Zeke, Sharpay, Olivia and Jason were headed out to 167.

"Thanks Mrs. Montez, this looks fantastic." Troy says while he finally looks up to see the less scary of the two Montez parents place down a plate of chicken in front of him. He feels his hands shaking underneath the table as his eyes look to Gabriella's deep brown and lock. She smiles softly, obliviously in a better mood then she was after school, which was a good thing.

He didn't want to be a complete ass, but he wanted to try it. So badly did he want to try it. Once he did, then he would be completely satisfied. He wouldn't do it again. Right? Of course. He'd get his fix and everything would be ok. He could go back to thinking about basketball and Gabriella. He wouldn't have to need the scent of gasoline in his nose, nor hear the roar of engines. He could go back to being the jock he was.

"So Troy, how's basketball coming?" Mrs. Montez asks as she sits down at the table. Troy was wearing a black polo with light jeans while Gabriella was wearing a black tank top with a white sweater over it. They decided together that they weren't going to dress up so it wouldn't look too suspicious. This shouldn't be that bad. He had dinner with the Montez's all the time. Why was he so nervous right now?

"Uhh, good I guess." He says while taking his knife in his hands. The piercing blue eyes glance over to see Gabriella's father was cutting a piece of chicken with his knife. He was getting the image of that knife going straight through his stomach. The piercing blue eyes immediately look to Gabriella with his eyes wide. She shoots him a look to calm him down, but it only makes him more nervous. "The team's good this year, so I'm hoping we go far."

"Your father must be pleased." Mr. Montez's intimidating voice says. Troy slowly looks over to him and feels his stomach flip. He bites down hard on the chicken he was eating and Troy gulps, preying he wasn't trying to show how he'd rip Troy apart.

"Uh… he is I guess." Troy says slowly while taking a sip of milk.

"He probably doesn't want you having any distractions though." Mr. Montez states while glancing at his daughter. Troy's stomach flips again. Gabriella's eyes move to her father as she smiles sweetly.

"Daddy, Troy doesn't get distracted easily." She says while shooting him a look, Troy suddenly thinking that maybe what she said had nothing to do with basketball. "I'm pretty sure he knows where his priorities lie."

"Really?" Jose Montez says while raising his eyebrows. It was as though he was looking straight through Troy. "How do you stay so focused? Most guys would crack under pressure."

Troy could feel his hand grip the hold on his fork a little tighter. "I'm not like most guys…" He says while glancing at Gabriella.

"How so?" Her father asks.

Troy looks at Gabriella. "Because I know what I want. And I know what's best for me. No one else needs to tell me." He says while Gabriella's eyes narrow a little on him. He could tell she was trying to keep the racing off the table. But he couldn't help to get the feeling of wanting to be there with Chad and them. Of course he'd bring Gabriella too, but this dinner was starting to scare him.

"That's a bold statement." Mr. Montez says. "How do you know? You're seventeen years old. How can you be sure you know exactly what's best for you?"

"Daddy…" Gabriella warns.

"Jose…" Her mother also warns as Troy shrugs his shoulders.

"Because sir, I have friends, like Gab, who, no matter how stupid decisions I may act, will still support me because they know that I need to learn for myself." He says while looking at Gabriella. "And because they care."

"But maybe that's why they want you to learn from their mistakes. Because they care and don't want to see something worse happen to you." Gabriella says while Troy glares at her a little. Wasn't she supposed to be on his side? Oh wait, that's right, she didn't want him to race.

Neither parent respond, Troy assuming because neither one knew what was going on. Their eyes don't leave each other until Gabriella finally rips hers away first. He watches as the hair that was curly and half up falls back behind her shoulders a little. "Well… how's the chicken?" Gabriella's mother asks.

"Great." Both Troy and Mr. Montez say at the exact same time, making Mr. Montez glare at Troy a little.

"I'm actually full." Jose says while he stands up.

Gabriella places her fork and knife down, Troy noticing she only ate half of her chicken. It wasn't like her to be like that now. She didn't seem to have touch anything else on her plate, but it just proves to Troy how nervous she was. "Daddy… actually… there's something I… we… want to tell you."

Mrs. Montez tenses up as well as Troy. Mr. Montez raises his eyebrows as his body becomes stiff also. Oh no. He was towering over Troy. This could get extremely dangerous. Couldn't they stall more? Her father swallows slowly. "Really?"

Troy closes his eyes as he feels Gabriella glance at him. "Um… yeah…" She says while clearing her throat a little. Troy opens his eyes again and looks to see how beautiful Gabriella really was just sitting there. She was gorgeous, and even if Mr. Montez killed him, at least he'd be able to see Gabriella's incredible features. But then again, he wanted to get behind the wheel just once. Please don't murder him alive. "Troy and I… er… we're um… well…"

Mr. Montez raises his eyebrows again. "You're what?"

Gabriella reaches up to her neck and Troy smiles a little while she holds the basketball pendent in her small fingers. Her eyes glance to the piercing blue, who gives her a small nod to let her continue. He was going to have to face him sometime. "Um… well… we're dating."

A sudden thick heavy wave of air fills the kitchen. Troy takes a deep breath and looks up into Mr. Montez's eyes. They close, almost as if in pain. He picks up it was the way Gabriella's were when she knew something was eventually going to happen, but didn't want it to. He opens them back up as he looks at Troy. "You're… you're dating…"

Troy chews on the inside of his cheek as Gabriella bites her bottom lip. He couldn't help but stare up at the older man. He refused to look at Troy, but his eyes remain on his daughter, the eyes that were completely unreadable. Troy glances over to her mother who seemed to be holding her breath too. To say this was awkward would be an understatement. "Dad…" Gabriella says in the sweetest voice she could muster.

"Troy… let's talk." Mr. Montez states while he nods over to the door. Troy's eyes grow wide as he immediately looks back at Gabriella. Her own eyes were wide with fear. She gets up from her chair as if to follow them, but Mr. Montez shakes his head. "I want to speak with Troy alone." His voice was unreadable, which made it the scariest. Troy slowly stands from his position and looks to Gabriella, who looks almost as scared as she did on Saturday night. But he looks to her father and watches as his hand coaxes Troy. He walks over and Mr. Montez pats him on the shoulder a little. "It will only be a minute."

_It only takes a minute to murder someone_. Troy thinks to himself as he slowly walks through the all too familiar hallway. Mr. Montez opens the door and lets Troy walk outside into the crisp night. Troy immediately folds his arms, both in trying to show that he wasn't going to back down and because it was cold. The wind plays with his chestnut hair as Mr. Montez turns around, Troy finally realizing how much taller he was than Troy. This was it. His life was going to end here.

His deep, dark chocolate brown eyes lock on the piercing blue. Gabriella's eyes. Troy watches as Mr. Montez takes a step forward. Now is when he took out the knife. "You and my daughter are dating?" He tries to confirm.

_No shit_. He didn't want to piss him off, but it was obvious. "Yes sir."

Mr. Montez takes another intimidating step forward. Troy could almost see the pain in his eyes. "I've been dreading this day from the day you two hit age thirteen." He says as Troy tries not to wince. That didn't sound good. "Do you know why?"

Troy wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer or not. "No sir."

He sighs a little while letting his face relax a little. Well, that was a good sign, wasn't it? "Because you're the only son of a bitch who could actually take her away." It was suddenly clear to Troy. Mr. Montez didn't hate him. He hated the fact that Gabriella had always belonged to him. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to say anything or not, so he looks down at his black tennis shoes. "You listen to me alright?" He says as Troy's eyes look up again. "If you break her heart, it will be the last of you."

Was that an acceptance? Troy suddenly feels a sparkle in his eyes. Was Mr. Montez not going to murder him? This was good. Troy takes a deep breath and suddenly feels his heart beating faster. All thoughts of cars were wiped from his brain, at least for now. "Mr. Montez, I love your daughter. I have for a really long time." He says, letting his heart do the talking right now. He hadn't even told Gabriella he loved her yet. "I know it's taken me awhile to realize it. But I'm not letting her go." He says.

Mr. Montez lets out a sigh. "Break her heart?"

Troy smiles a little. "You'll break my body."

He doesn't smile, nor does Troy expect him to. But he opens the door and Troy finally lets out a breath. Inside, he could see Gabriella and her mother looking at each other nervously in the hallway. Immediately, Gabriella runs to Troy but doesn't touch him, since her father just walks in the door. "Are you done?" She asks while looking over Troy's tan skin to see if there were any evident wounds.

"Yeah… We had a great talk." Mr. Montez says while patting Troy on the shoulder, a little too hard for Troy's liking. But Jose then walks to his wife and puts his arm around her, Troy finally knowing that all he was trying to do was protect his daughter.

"Ok then…" Gabriella lets out; a little scared since it seemed to go well. "We're just… gonna go upstairs now." She says while grabbing Troy's arm and beginning to drag him up the steps.

"We'll be outside. If I hear anything…!" Mr. Montez calls, even though Troy knew they had been alone in Gabriella's bedroom a million times before.

They make it up the steps and Gabriella pushes Troy inside. She then slams the door and turns around with wide eyes. "Did he hurt you?" She asks while running over and running her hands down the front of his shirt, checking for "bruises" but making Troy tremble beneath her touch.

"I'm fine ok?" He says while lifting her arms up so she was looking into his eyes. His lips lean down and touch hers gently. He suddenly feels shockwaves throughout his body that somehow were forgotten in the past couple of days. Troy backs up a little until his legs hit her bed. He slowly leans back so his back was touching the soft mattress and moves back a little, Gabriella's legs straddling him. "Gab…"

"It wasn't that bad huh?" She says seductively. His hands run up and down her sides on top of him as her tongue gently slips inside his mouth. He could feel his erection already stirring as her hips grind against his. A small smile was playing on her lips as she was taking control. Her small fingers inch up his black polo. Touching his smooth bare skin, Troy moans in her mouth as his hands reach down to grab a hold of her butt.

But suddenly, Troy feels a vibrating in his pocket, suddenly reminding him about the text that Chad had sent earlier. Yes. Now they were done with dinner, they could head over there and everything would be perfect. Maybe Gabriella would feel generous. But her tongue remains in his mouth as she slowly brings his polo up to reveal his tan skin. "Leave it…"

Troy pulls back as his tongue sucks out of his mouth. "Just one second…" He says while he reaches down and attempts to pull the phone out. Gabriella's eyes were wide with hurt as he leans up a little and flips it open.

_Where are u man?_

He doesn't even notice the pain in her eyes as he gently slides her into his lap and kisses her head. "Chad and the gang are at 167. If we hurry we can get there in time." He says while standing up, making her slide onto the bed. Gabriella stares up at him with her mouth open in disbelief.

"You're fucking serious?" She asks as Troy's piercing blue eyes look to Gabriella. "There is no way in hell you're going."

That was the answer Troy completely didn't want to hear.


	39. Driver's Seat

**A/N: Thank you everyone who is sticking with me. I know what I'm doing is a little crazy right now, but it means so much to me that you guys are reading. Just letting you know, I'm going to be gone until Friday so I won't be able to post until then. Thanks so much for reading, it means the world to me! Just so you know, there aren't going to be many more chapters left. I thinking two or three after this. Oh, and sorry if this chapter is extremely fast paced, I was listening to Now or Never while writting it and... well I love that song and those of you who have heard it knows how it is! Thanks again!**

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"What?!"

Gabriella was fuming. Her hands were shaking as she sat on the bed, staring up at this guy. Her deep brown eyes were turning black with every second that went by as his twisted piercing blue was turning to a navy blue storm. She could feel her heart beat increase as he stomach was twisting like a cobra ready to strike. He was a stranger. She didn't know the person who was looking back at her with anger stretching across his normally perfect face. He was someone she had never seen before. In the fourteen years that she's known him, never has he looked this twisted before. Nor did she ever want to see it again.

"You heard me." She seethes while trying to keep her voice from yelling. Maybe it was a mix of the heat she had just experienced from their minute make-out session that was stretching through her blood that was making her so angry. But the dark storm clouded her eyes, completely turning them to the depths of hell black. She stands up slowly and feels her eyebrows narrow. "There is no fucking way you're going Troy."

She was loosing him. She was loosing all control she had over him. He was slipping through her fingers and she knew it. Not that she thought he didn't care about her, she just knew exactly what was happening. If he wouldn't let her purge anymore, she wasn't going to let him go to 167. No way in hell. Troy's face becomes slightly red as she could tell he was trying to keep his anger down. "There's no fucking way you can just tell me what to do. Why? Why can't I go? This will be great."

Gabriella's eyes narrow again. She could almost feel a wind pick up from behind her. A storm was centering around her as anger shot through her veins. "Because that's all you've been thinking about!" She exclaimed with her voice threatening to reach higher levels. "You barely pay attention in class, you're always antsy now, and Goddamn it, I throw myself at you and you choose cars over sex! That's what's wrong with it!" By the end of the sentence Gabriella's voice was now in yelling range. "Troy, you're obsessed!"

Troy's piercing blue change to a level that was even darker, Gabriella's never seen it before. "I'm not obsessed!" He yells back in the same tone of voice.

Gabriella takes a step forward, the imaginary wind behind her picking up. "How many times have you picked up a basketball after practice? How many times have you _thought_ about basketball in the past week huh?" Her voice shakes a little as the storm in her eyes circles. "How many times and you thought about me?"

Troy takes an angry step forward as his eyes become a complete grey. "You think I don't fucking thing about you Gab? I just sat through dinner trying to make sure your father doesn't kill me! Don't even try to pull that shit Gabriella!" He says her full name with venom as Gabriella feels the wind start to twist. "You're just pissed because I don't want to screw you right now!"

"Really? Tell me something Troy, if Chad hadn't texted, would you have wanted it?" She asks and looked down at his jeans to see there was a small hint of a bulge evident. A crooked smile forms on Gabriella's face as Troy looks down also. "That's what I thought." She says which made Troy even madder showing she was right.

He shakes his head violently. "It doesn't matter. You don't own me, you can't tell me what I can and can't do. You don't control me."

Suddenly it was as though lightning strikes behind Gabriella. Her body completely becomes hard and anger shoots through her body. Her eyes were so dark as she actually had to take deep breaths to make sure her heart didn't stop beating. "Control Troy? Wanna talk about control? Huh? You of _all _people know I love that topic!" She screams in a voice that was hysterical. Tears were streaming down her face but she barely noticed them.

Troy actually takes a step back from her anger. But then regains composer. "You can't have it all the time Gab… I hate to break it to you. Life isn't about always being in control. It sucks, but you're not the only one who fucking wants control, needs control. You don't understand!"

What? Gabriella had no idea what to say back to that. Her anger suddenly slips slightly as Troy's breath was heavy as though they had just gotten done with a make out session. But instead of happiness on his face, it was still twisted with an anger that Gabriella found extremely unfamiliar. Her heart continues to beat fast as she tries to find the monster within again. She wanted to fight back, but what he had just said was wrapping around her mind a million times over again. Her mind suddenly flashbacks to in the bathroom when Troy found out. His body trembling, as she could feel her own right now. "You're right… I don't. But you're gonna kill yourself Troy. If you keep this up you're gonna die…"

They were the exact words he spoke to her in the bathroom. His eyes flash white as anger radiates from his body. "It's not the fucking same!" He denies, making Gabriella's anger rise again.

"You know what Troy? Go. Go to your fucking street race. I hope it makes you happy." She says with venom still in her voice. The storm in Troy's eyes was still there as she looked up slowly in the gray shade. There was no stopping him, and she knew it. Finally, the tears burn in her eyes as Troy snarls a little. She could feel streaks of acid pouring down her cheeks as her legs give out on her and she falls onto her bed in a sitting position. "Just don't tell them to call me when you're in the fucking hospital."

What just bothered her the most was the fact that Troy's eyes were dry and stormy. Usually, the Troy she knew would come to her side if she had tears streaming down her face. He'd drop his anger to make sure she was ok. But the stranger just stands there, hard as a rock as Gabriella's tears fall from her cheek to the purple comforter of her bed. "Don't worry, I won't be in the hospital…" He said with anger shooting through his nostrils as he shakes the house while walking towards her bedroom door.

She watches as his head looks back one more time before slamming the door shut. Immediately as he does, the sobs burst from her mouth. Her head falls to the comforter as her face buries itself into the purple blob. Was she crying over their argument? Not really. She was more crying in fear. The tears were falling because she was loosing her Troy. Her body shakes a little as her heart shatters with every second that passes.

Why wouldn't he listen to her? Couldn't he just be rational for… five minutes? At dinner he seemed fine, besides their hinting to each other. But other then that, he had tried to be ok. Why was this going on now? Now when she had him? Why couldn't this have happened when he was with Olivia? Why did she love him so much?

The sobs slowly calm down as her lungs gasp for breath. She could feel her nose collect as she sniffles a little. What he said was still circling around her head. _You can't have it all the time Gab_… Was it true? Was it normal to be out of control for awhile? But wasn't Troy out of control right now? But this wasn't healthy. Could she really just except the fact that she can't be in control of situations?

But it suddenly hits her like bricks. Her stomach drops as she realizes the truth. It started with him. Sure, she wanted to loose the weight, but she first purged because of him. Because he was flirting with someone who she thought was thinner, prettier. When he was dating Olivia, it was never about the fact that Olivia was gorgeous. Nothing like that. It was the fact that she didn't have control over Troy. He was the only one who wasn't in her grasp. He went to her parents when he found out she was purging and she didn't want anyone to know. He was the one who she couldn't control. He was her control issue.

But that's why she loved him. It was because he was the one who saved her. He was the one who kept her going. Her body slowly stands up, not even noticing almost a half hour had passed since he left. She wasn't going to sit in her room and cry. No. She was going to fight with him. Show him how stupid he was being.

She wipes her eyes and grabs her purse, pulling out the keys to her car. She wasn't going to watch Troy go down. Not this time.

* * *

She's stupid and has no idea what she's talking about…

Keep telling yourself that Bolton.

Troy's chest was heaving up and down as he stares straight ahead. There it was, what he wanted for the whole week. The scene was once again completely black, with the wind running up his bare arms, making him shiver underneath his polo. His normally piecing ocean blue eyes were so dark they were a gray color. His hands were shaking as he stares at the two pairs of headlights that sprint away in a flash. If this was what he wanted to do all week, then why did he feel miserable?

Because he loved Gabriella more.

He should just turn around. Turn around and just walk away. It be the better thing wouldn't it? Sure, he was angry at Gabriella. Angry for saying that he was addicted when it was obvious he wasn't. But something inside, if there was a rational part right now, was telling him to turn around and just walk away. He could get by without it, couldn't he? No. Gabriella didn't control him. Nobody controlled him. He was going to do what he wanted to do, and no one else was going to stop him.

The dark grey eyes look out to the scene as he leans up against his car in confusion. Why was this so hard? Why couldn't this just be simple? It should be, shouldn't it? His car was parked off towards the side, away from everyone else's. The air was cold, making him shiver and he almost felt like he could throw up at any moment. His insides were turning as the smell of gasoline was filling his nostrils. _Turn around_. Something was telling him. _Go back to Gabriella, this can only turn out bad Bolton and you know it_. He wanted to do this, but was pretty sure he wanted Gabriella more. But could he go back now after he said what he did? Probably not, so there was only one other option.

He takes a step forward slowly, his black sneakers connecting with the pavement. Slowly, he walks away from the black truck that almost was trying to lure him back. But his eyes remain down on the two headlights that were coming back now. As he gets closer, he realizes that something wasn't right. There was a huge black shadow, almost looking like a mob of people, away from the headlights. What was going on?

His body walks closer as he realizes that he was right. There was a group, almost a circle that seemed to be more entertainment than the race right now. Troy squints his grey eyes a little to get a better view, but finds himself unsuccessful, that is, until he sees a small figure turn its head and immediately break away towards him. It takes a moment before Troy realizes that the figure's brown, wavy hair was bouncing. Her milk chocolate brown eyes seem to glow in the dark as her figure finally gets closer. "Troy! Troy you gotta come!" Her normally sweet voice has panic stricken in it. Olivia finally gets to him with her eyes bright and wide with fear.

"Liv? What's going on?" He asks while glancing up at the mob again.

Her voice was still panicked as she flails her arms around. "…fight… Taylor… Chad… Samuels." She gets out in pants since she had just run that distance.

What? Troy grabs her shoulders to get her to calm down. "Just breathe ok? What's going on? What about Chad?" He asks while she takes a couple deep breaths and then points towards the mob again.

"Chad and Samuels are gonna race, but he said something about Taylor, there's a fight… Troy he could kill Chad…"

Troy's eyes immediately shoot from her milk chocolate and turn the slightest shade back to blue. He lets go of her shoulders and immediately sprints towards the mob. No. Chad was his best guy friend. Next to Gabriella, he was the most important person in Troy's life. Once getting to the outside of the circle, he angrily shoves his way through. "Watch it!" Some bigger guys say but it doesn't matter. Troy had to get to him.

Finally, he breaks through to find Samuels smirking as he holds Chad by the shoulder. Troy watches in horror as his large fist connects with Chad's stomach, sending him to his knees. Immediately, Troy runs in the middle of the circle and drops down to the floor grabbing Chad's shoulder, suddenly completely forgetting about cars or the fight he had with Gabriella. "What the hell…" Samuels starts but Troy wasn't paying attention.

"Chad… Chad man talk to me!" He says while watching the afro bend over, holding his stomach. Troy doesn't notice that the rest of their gang was now crowded around him. All he could see was his dark face, wincing in a pain that Troy could never imagine.

A weak smirk falls onto Chad's face as his black smile looks up at Troy. "Man… black is not your color…"

A sigh of relief spreads though Troy's body as he rolls his eyes. He was fine. "You're a bastard." Troy says while Chad coughs a little. He looks up at all the people who were standing there, watching the scene unfold. Anger still in his veins from the fight, and now this scare, he shakes his head. "What the hell are you staring at?" He yells while everyone looks at each other then walks away but keeps their eyes on them, since Samuels wasn't moving.

"Fuck, you wuss. That it? I want a race!" He says angrily as Troy's eyes narrow again. The gray turns another shade of blue again as he shakes his head.

"Yeah? Then go find someone else. He's done." Troy says slowly, not believing what actually came out of his mouth. Something about Chad right now was sparking the old Troy again. His eyes look back to his best guy friend, who places a hand on Troy's shoulder. All thoughts of wanting to race suddenly die seeing him like this. Why was he so stupid to begin with?

"Dude… you gotta do it." He says while Troy's eyes grow wide. What?

"Chad… are you stupid?" Troy asks, even though he already knew the answer. If he wanted to drag after getting the lights knocked out of him, then he was stupid. Completely stupid. Troy didn't even want to race anymore. With each second that went by, his eyes were turning back to the blue color they were meant to be.

"He said shit about Taylor." He says while wincing in pain a little.

"Dude, we should take him somewhere…" Carlos says in the distance. Troy finally notices that Zeke, Sharpay, Olivia, Jason, Carlos and Miles were all standing around them. Tony was off in the distance a little with fire in his eyes, but then his head drops back down to Chad's level. Why was he so stupid into thinking this was cool? Why did he ever want to do this in the first place?

"Yeah…" Troy says distantly as he looks back down to Chad. "You gotta let it go man, or… or you're going to kill yourself. It's not worth it." He says slowly, suddenly realizing Gabriella was right. She was always right. Damn her.

Troy slowly stands up while looking to see that Samuels was still staring at them with his gang. His arms were crossed, popping out his muscles to try and look intimidating. "He challenged… I want a race…"

He looks at Carlos and Zeke who was trying to bring Chad to a standing position. "Take him to my car… I'll be there in a sec." He says while tossing Zeke the keys to his truck. Troy turns to him, his eyes burst through back with his piercing blue color, only this time they become ice. Maybe it was the anger from Gabriella and his fight earlier, maybe it was the fact that Chad was being helped up by Carlos right now, or maybe it was just the fact that he had finally broke his addiction that he was angry right now. "Fuck off! No one here wants to race you… go rape someone else."

Anger flashes through Samuel's eyes as his mouth snarls. Troy doesn't even have time to notice that Carlos yells his name as a fist comes at him at full force. But he expects it, so he ducks, falling to the floor, ripping the sleeve of his black polo on the asphalt, with out Samuels' touching him, when he suddenly feels his stomach completely flip at the sound of a voice. "Troy!"

His eyes grow wide as the feminine sound rings in his ears. Immediately, he flips over on the ground to see the deep dark chocolate brown eyes staring in horror. Troy's body goes into shock. Why was she here? Why'd she come? But panic was running through his body. He needed to get her away. He needed to get her out of here before something bad happened.

Like the suddenly million bullets feeling that Troy gets in his stomach as Samuels kicks him.

"TROY!" Her maniacal scream rings as he sees stars. He feels as though his entire stomach was going to flip inside out, and doesn't register the touch of her small hand on his arm that was turning to ice from the cold. His face winces in a twisted pain as he lets out a sick sounding yell that he didn't even know he could create. "Troy… God…"

His eyes open up and he suddenly sees the face of an angel. His love, his savior. Gabriella's leg was holding his back up as her hand was running through his hair. "Gab… you gotta… get outta here…" He says while wincing in pain after each word.

"That it you pussy?" The deep voice sounds as Troy's eyes shut again and he nods, his male ego completely killed with just one kick. The sound of laughter fills the cold air as he finally manages to catch his breath. He didn't give a shit. "Alright, who's up?" Samuels asks, Troy not caring if he ever stepped into a car again.

His eyes open again as he looks to see Gabriella was lifting up his polo slowly. Her eyes grow wide as she reveals the huge already yellow forming bruise that was placed on his abs. "Oh shit…" She whispers as Troy slowly grabs her hand, his strength returning to him.

"Gabriella. You need to go." He says while getting the feeling back in his legs.

Her eyes grow wide as Troy leans forward and knees up, matching Gabriella's position. Anger stretches through them. "There's no fucking way you're staying here Troy Bolton!" She screams. He knew that, but right now all he cared about was getting Gabriella away safely.

"Go back to the truck… they're taking Chad." He says and suddenly hears another voice within the air.

"We're taking him to my house. No one's home." Carlos says while Gabriella's eyes never leave Troy's. The storm behind her was brewing again as Troy slowly gets to his feet, Gabriella quickly shooting up and pushing his chest, catching him off guard.

"You're a bastard!" She screams as her eyes become completely black. She thought he wanted to stay, but in reality all he wanted was to get her safely.

"Go with them… I meet you there ok?" He says trying to be calm, but his stomach was hurting more then anything he had ever felt before.

"There's no fucking way I'm leaving Troy!" She screams while pushing him back again.

"Come on Gabriella…" Olivia's voice fills the air as Troy suddenly realizes she was right behind her, grabbing her shoulder but the girl shrugs it off.

"Don't touch me!" She screams and turns back to Troy. "You're a complete ass…"

A siren fills the air before she could finish her sentence.

Troy's eyes grow wide as he immediately grabs her arm. No. She couldn't get caught. She'd get suspended if she got caught and it would be all his fault. "COPS!" Someone yells as panic stretches though 167. Troy's eyes had fire in them as he stares at Gabriella, his arm grabbing her forearm. There wasn't enough room in the truck for him to go with. It was out of the way, so they would have less of a chance to get caught. He had to get her to safety. "GO! Get to my truck, I'll meet you at Carlos'!"

"Come on man, get in my car!" Carlos screams as he sprints to a red car that was sitting a few yards away.

Her eyes were wide, not with anger anymore, but with fear. Troy immediately lets go of her as She tries to run to him. "Troy!"

"Get out of here Gabi!" He screams, using the name he only uses in desperation or when they have sex.

"Troy!" She screams again while Olivia drags her backwards towards safety. Knowing they had no time, Troy sprints to the red speed car as Carlos starts the engine. He rips open the passenger door and jumps inside, looking back to see the dark figure of to girls sprinting away as the red and blue lights of the cops fill up the highway.

"Now you'll get your race…" Carlos says as his foot slams on the gas and speeds down the highway, Troy not even caring. All he could think about was Gabriella getting to his truck in time. His eyes close as he hears sirens sprinting towards the twenty cars that were speeding all in one direction, praying that Carlos' car was fast, but for different reasons than before…


	40. Crazy Little Thing Called Love

**A/N: So sorry for the wait! But I really hope this chapter makes up for it. I cleared my mind for a bit while I was gone, and hopefull it paid off, but let me know what you think. Just a warning, there's only one chapter left after this. I have another story started, but I'm not sure if I'm going to post it yet. This may be my last story. But I'll get to that later. I really hope you guys like this chapter, and thanks so much for reading. You are incredible!**

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11:00 PM. Where the fuck was he?

Gabriella's legs were starting to feel numb. Her fingers lost their feeling about ten minutes ago. The heart inside her chest that only beat for one person and one person only was going at a thousand beats per minute. Her feet kept going in the same path, to the left, turn around, to the right. Her pacing was almost drilling a hole through her aunt's guest room carpet. Her mind was anywhere but in the dark room with the dark figure lying on the bed. Instead, her mind was in Carlos' car. Where was he?

Her stomach was turning with every thought that processed. Every negative thought made her desperately want to throw up. He didn't make it to the car in time. Stomach turn. They caught the car that Carlos' was driving. Another turn. The police chased them and they crashed into a tree, sending her love to the hospital. A bigger turn. But what actually made her feel the hot acid erupt into her mouth was the thought of Troy's lifeless body draped over the passenger seat of the car, with the sparkle in his blue eyes completely wiped away, never to return again.

"Please stop… you're making me dizzy." The body croaks on the bed as Gabriella's deep brown orbs immediately shoot to the figure that was sitting there with blood caked on the side of his lip. He was hunched over, Gabriella able to see the bruise that was turning a sick green color on his dark stomach. His black eyes, which were usually full of joy and amusement, were scared. Gabriella had never seen something so depressing in her life.

"I..." Her voice was horse as she looks at Chad with her body shaking. She couldn't control it. Something had to have happened. They showed up at the house over an hour ago and Troy and Carlos still hadn't come back. They got caught. Or crashed. Or something. "I can't stand this!" She says with a burning sensation erupting in the back of her throat.

Her voice was sounding hysterical. All the shades were down in the guest bedroom so the shadows were making it more luminous and mysterious. Chad looks up at her as he winces while standing up, but he was doing so much better from before. "You have to calm down ok?"

"Calm down!" She screams, making the sickening words bounce off the sides of the dark room. Her eyes were wide like she had just seen a mutated body while staring at the other guy in the room. "Chad, it's been over an hour!" She yells while pointing to the clock that read 11:09 PM. "Something happened!"

Chad puts his finger up to his lips and motions for her voice to come down. "I know… I know ok? But everyone else is freaking out and you screaming isn't going to help." He says in a soft voice while talking a step forward.

Gabriella could feel her eyes turn to ice, learning the trick from Troy, as she sends atomic bombs in his direction. "I don't give a fuck if everyone's freaking out or not." She spits out dangerously. Her mind suddenly imagines everyone sitting at her aunts table in complete silence the way they did when they first got into the house. Their faces looked like someone who had just witnessed a death.

Everything was out of her control. Troy right now could be sitting in a hospital bed, his heart barely beating and she was sitting in her aunt's house waiting. Her stomach was turning into a volcano and all she wanted to do was sprint to the bathroom and let herself throw up. "He's gonna be fine ok Gab? He's gonna be fine." Chad says while taking another step forward.

Her body goes into over drive while her dark eyes lock on Chad. The bottom lip quivers while her eyes started to burn like they were sitting in hell. Tears suddenly cloud her vision as she shakes her head. "He's not back yet Chad! Something happened… I know it…" She says in a small voice while the tears escape from their prison and leave trails down her face.

"Gabs…" Chad says while wincing again. He places his strong arms around Gabriella's body, trying to give her the strength she needed. But her body collapses in his arms as she doesn't notice him wincing from the bruise as Gabriella pushes her body against his. He was out there, what if he was in jail?

11:12 PM. It was at that moment that Gabriella realizes that it didn't matter whether she was with Troy or not. It didn't matter if he was her lover, her best friend, her brother, an acquaintance, anything. She just needed him. Needed him in her life, and then she would be satisfied. Needed to see his face, his eyes that sparkled exactly like the twinkling stars outside the closed shades. That's all she ever wanted, and that was all she needed.

Chad pulls away slowly while looking at Gabriella, trying to put a small smile on his face. "He'll be fine…" He says while letting go of Gabriella.

She stares at him for a moment. 11:13 PM. Her stomach was about to erupt with a stick of dynamite. Her heart was beating with speed as the clock changes again. 11:14 PM…

Suddenly, they could hear a door slam from below. Gabriella's eyes immediately grow wide as they lock on Chad. Her heart stops its beats and her face becomes hot. Her stomach turns as she hears a muffled sound from below and her chest becomes heavy. Could it be? Her body seems distant to her as it was almost like she was floating on air, watching herself freeze as this happens. Ice almost seeps up from her toes as her eyes remain on Chad. The sound of footsteps almost drills through her ears as both pairs of eyes shoot to the door. Gabriella's heart had at least gone thirty seconds without beating, and her breath gets caught in her throat as the door knob turns.

The door swings open slowly as she looks up to see a tan boy with completely jet black hair standing behind it. Her body was still frozen as his almost black eyes look up and lock with hers. Her breath was caught in her throat as Carlos just stands there with his hand on the doorknob. Gabriella finally finds her voice as she opens her mouth. "Where is he?" She asks with a pause in between each word.

He got hit. He got caught. He's in the hospital. He's dead. They were all what Gabriella expects Carlos to say, but instead, her cousin just takes a step to the side to see a shadow looming behind him. Gabriella couldn't breathe as the figure takes a step forward into the room where his piercing drowning blue eyes seem to light up the room.

Relief ripples through Gabriella's body as she suddenly feels her heart beat again. All the feelings in her nerves seem to tingle again as her body comes back to her. Her eyes look over him, to see that his black sleeve was ripped and his jeans were completely caked with dirt. The chestnut brown hair was matted in a little sweat. His eyes were shining, probably thankful that Gabriella was ok. He slowly walks fully into the room while the sides of his mouth were tugging in a small smile. He was ok and not dead…

…but she was going to kill him.

Suddenly, anger shoots through her body. He just put her through hell. Her deep brown eyes cloud over in black again as she could feel her heartbeat increase. Venom seeps into her blood stream as the black eyebrows narrow. How could he do this to her? Chad and Carlos both look at each other, though neither Gabriella nor Troy notice, since they were both staring at each other. Troy's face suddenly becomes scared as Carlos points towards the door. "We're um…"

"… gonna leave you guys alone." Chad finishes while Carlos and he walk around the two. It was like an orb that only Troy and Gabriella were in, the tension building. She could almost feel the air grow thicker as the door shuts, though she really wasn't paying attention. Troy's eyes never leave hers as he attempts to take a step forward.

"Thank God you're ok." He lets out in a breath. Gabriella's eyes narrow as her stomach was bubbling again. She could feel the anger almost overflowing as the eyes turn completely black, while Troy's eyes seemed to be going lighter, to an immeasurable blue. He takes a step forward again, breaking down the wall that Gabriella was building.

Slowly, he walks to her with his eyes still in fear. Gabriella could almost hear the anger inside her growling as he stops in front of her and attempts to place a hand on her body to bring her to a hug. But instead, unexpectedly, the beast snaps as her hand comes up and angrily swings back. She feels a burning sensation as a quick "snap" erupts while her hand connects with his skin. Troy's face moves to the side as she brings her hand back. His eyes were wide as his hand comes up to her impact point. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME!" She warns while taking a step back.

Troy's eyes were glistening as he widens his mouth to attempt to get rid of the pain. Gabriella's breath was breathing in and out quickly as she doesn't even try to keep her anger down. He nods a little while stretching his jaw which she just slapped. "I deserved that." He says in a small voice.

Gabriella laughs a maniacal sound as she shoots atomic bombs at him with her black eyes. "Deserved that Troy? No… You deserve this!" She screams while she pushes his shoulders. He stumbles back a little, but then regains composure. All the emotion from the night was boiling through Gabriella's skin. "Do you have _any _idea what you just put be through Troy Bolton?" She screams in a voice that was completely unfamiliar.

"I'm sorry." He whispers slowly with the shadow of the room dancing on his face.

Gabriella laughs a sick laugh again. "Sorry Troy? You're sorry?" She asks while taking a couple steps forward again. Her hands push his shoulders again until he runs into the door behind him, fear in his eyes. He cringes a little while his back hits the door, Gabriella completely forgetting about his bruise, not that she would care right now. She wanted blood. She wanted Troy's blood. And wasn't going to stop until he understood how much he hurt her. "YOU HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA!"

Troy closes his eyes, obviously in pain at how insane Gabriella was right now. "I know… I kn…"

He doesn't finish his sentence, since Gabriella's hand comes up again and slaps his face. The already red side turns to a tomato as Troy grabs it again. "No, you don't know Troy!" She screams like she would never see him again. "You have no fucking idea. First you choose fucking racing over sex… then you almost get yourself killed by some asshole… Then you almost fucking get caught by the police!" She screams while pushing his shoulders again, making him hit the door. "WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE WITHOUT YOU?"

Troy cringes at the sound of her voice again. Gabriella didn't care. The glass windows were almost breaking in her fury as her breath was echoing off the wall. "Gab…"

"SHUT UP!" She screams again, pushing him again. Troy was just taking all of this, which almost made Gabriella angrier. But it felt good. So good. For the first time in her life, she was getting control over him. If she didn't like his answer, she would hit him. For the first time, she was on top. For the first time, she had control. Hot acidic tears were streaming down her face as she pushes him again. "You're a bastard!" She screams as her body begins to tremble. She pushes him a third time, making his body echo around the room. "I hate you…" She says while sobs were starting to erupt. The emotions were bubbling over as she couldn't take it anymore. "I hate you so much." She says while finally collapsing into Troy's arms, staining his black shirt with tears. Her arms attempt to pound on his chest, but they weren't that strong.

Troy grabs her fists and makes her black eyes look up to his ice piercing blue. Passion was bubbling through them as he leans down. "I love you too…"

Sparks shoot through her body as their lips crash together in a desperate attempt. Gabriella's eyes close as she violently shoves her tongue into his mouth. No. He kissed her first. That wasn't allowed. She wanted the control, and she was going to get it.

"No!" She yells as she pulls her tongue out. Troy looks at her confused for a moment before Gabriella slaps his face again, and then pulls his head towards her. Their lips connect, Troy's body shocked by her actions. Her tongue shoves his mouth open as she dominantly forces the kiss. She jumps up on his body and wraps her legs around his waist. Their barriers were falling as Gabriella was starting to breathe heavily. Her mouth disconnects with Troy's as she then begins placing kisses onto his neck, making Troy grip at her butt to support her.

"Gab…" He moans while she bites violently down on his neck. Her legs fall down again so they were standing. She moves down so she was almost kneeling and grabs the bottom of his black shirt. Angrily, she rips it over his head and starts to place kisses down his chest, her hand gently running over the yellow and purple bruise that was sitting on his abs. His breath was hitched along with hers as she then trails up and connects their lips again in a heated kiss before jumping back up onto his waist.

He suddenly moves away from the wall and starts walking her towards the bed. His hands were running softly up and down her sides, but that wasn't what Gabriella wanted. So she pulls away and hits his back with her fist, causing Troy to shake unexpectedly. He throws her on the bed in the dark and then attempts to hover over her, but Gabriella rolls away. So Troy falls face first on the bed, then flips back over with confusion written on his perfect features.

"You hurt me…" She says with a tear falling down her face. Her body rolls up onto him, straddling his bare chest while she stares down at him, herself in power. Troy was looking up at her with hurt in his eyes. His hand was on her waist while his other arm was propping himself up a little to stare at her.

"You have no idea how sorry I am." He whispers, begging for forgiveness. Gabriella's hand reaches up and slaps his face again, though he doesn't flinch as much since it was starting to turn numb. She then leans down and kisses the side of his face at the impact point, as though to 'make it better'. "I love you Gab…"

Her breath was uneven as she angrily shoves her lips against his again. Her hands were running down his bare chest as she could hear him moaning, though her mouth was stifling it. The heat was building in the dark, making Gabriella feel sweat breakout. She could feel his erection growing as he attempted to rub his groin with hers, but she wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. She pulls back up from the kiss again and pulls the top she was wearing off and throws it to the side, revealing her black bra that Troy stares at with longing for a moment. Her lips come down once again to slam against Troy's, causing a bruise but also causing fireworks through their bodies.

Troy's lips let go and kiss down the sides of her bra, leaning his body up and making Gabriella's back arch in pleasure. Her hands dig into his chestnut hair as she couldn't help now but rub her firing organ against Troy's stiff one. He moans while she pushes his head closer to her soft skin so he could bite softly. His teeth drag against her soft skin as they reach back to her collarbone to bite down, but she had different ideas. Her hands lead his head back down her to chest, where Troy's hands slowly make their way to her back and unclip the black undergarment.

"You chose it over me." She whispers. "Troy!" She moans while he places his lips onto her nipple and begins to suck softly. But she didn't want anything to be gentle. Not right now.

"I was an idiot." He says while placing his hand on her other breast, making his hot breath vibrate against her. She whimpers for a moment before pushing her body back down, making Troy's head move away so their lips could connect again. "Please… I'm sorry." He whispers in a husky voice.

Her hands reach down to find the button on his jeans which she undoes. She then trails her teeth down his bare chest, making him groan as she unzips the zipper and pulls down the pants, carrying his boxers with it to reveal his full manhood. "Sorry doesn't take away the pain." She says while the black eyes start to turn back to a brown while they connect up with the piercing blue. She places her lips onto his bare leg and teases him by skipping over his erection, making him groan in disappointment.

Before she knew it, Gabriella clothes were completely shed along with Troy's except for the basketball pendent around her neck and Troy's glowing scarlet class ring. Her body was still on top of his, rubbing her skin against his. He was moaning in away that she had never heard before. "Gabi…" He lets go as his head switches sides to attack her mouth still, their tongues fighting for dominance, though Gabriella was winning.

His arm wraps around her lower back as his weight then shifts. He was attempting to flip her over, but that wasn't in her agenda. She stations her knees by squeezing his waist, making Troy's attempt for control unsuccessful. Sweat was making their bodies stick together and she could feel her throb begin to become unbearable. She was completely wet, and Troy was obviously ready also. His eyes close in pleasure with Gabriella smirking. Only she could make him feel this way, and it was evident to her now too. "Please…" He begs in a hitched breath. "Please Gabi… I'm dying here."

It was Troy that was the one who was begging, which was giving Gabriella the satisfaction she always wanted. A smirk paints onto her face as her long black hair drapes in font of him, closing all the other air around them. "Tell me you need me…" She whispers the same way Troy did the first night they had sex.

"I need you…" He whispers huskily while connecting their lips. Troy's erection was already covered by a green latex glove that Gabriella had slipped on before. "Fuck Gabriella… please let me do it… you're killing me."

Gabriella smiles. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. "Alright." She whispers while placing one last sweaty kiss onto his lips. She then leans up, Troy expecting to flip her, but instead she positions herself over him, in complete control and slides herself onto him, his eyes growing wide.

"GABI!" He practically screams as she slowly moves herself up on his shaft and then pushes back down, sending her sensations she had never felt before. One, she was in control, two, he was hitting her spot perfectly.

She continues to take control until she could feel her body starting to climax. Her legs were starting to burn, not realizing how tired she could actually get from this, but it didn't matter. For the first time in her life, she was getting the control she had always wanted. Finally, after her eating disorder, Olivia, and the street racing, she got her control.

"Troy, I'm gonna…" She tells him while leaning her nude, sweaty body back so he could get deeper inside her.

"Let it go Gabi…" He says in a hitched voice while leaning up and kissing her bare stomach, right above her silver bellybutton ring. Her walls begin to close around him, making her whimper at the sensations. "Let go of everything."

That was it. Her eyes shut as stars shoot into her vision. "TROY!" She screams in a voice that wanted him more then the air she was gasping for. Pleasure ripples through her body in the form of an orgasm as she tenses up for a moment, before then leaning forward and collapsing on his bare stomach, panting heavily up and down. "I love you…" She whispers while placing a kiss onto his chest.

Troy, on the other hand, was still breathing heavily and doing his best to try and not push into Gabriella. "I… I love you too." He says in a husky, hitched voice. Her eyes grow wide as she realizes he didn't orgasm yet.

"Shit…" She whispers while doing her best to lift her heavy head up to look at him. Passion was seeping through his eyes as he tries to pull himself out of her. "Troy…"

"I'm fine. You're tired…" He says. Gabriella's heart suddenly soars. He was offering to give up what he started because she wasn't up for it. Her heart was suddenly beating in his time as she shakes her head. The sweat was gleaming off his forehead while he attempts to sit up. She got her control, and she realized now if they wanted to make this work, they'd have to share it.

"No… please finish…" She begs while does her best to flip him over. His eyes suddenly erupt in passion as he eagerly flips over. Her body was completely shot from what she just did, but it didn't matter She had to do this for him, because she loved him. He was now hovering over her, as her legs did their best to spread.

"You sure? I don't want to hurt you." He whispers huskily. He wanted to take care of her, something that he had wanted all along. Her head nods slowly. Even though this would hurt more then anything, she wanted him to be happy, and she was happy by his pleasure. Especially if it came from her. "Fuck I love you."

It didn't take long. After he pushes himself inside her, it was just a few pumps. It hurt like hell, Gabriella couldn't remember anything that had hurt that bad. But Troy was getting what he needed, so that seemed to take the pain away. Her eyes were shut as he was placing kisses onto her neck, Gabriella trying to run her hands on his bare back to make him feel the way she did. His pants increase as Gabriella feels his body tense up and her walls tighten the smallest bit to help him. His lips crash onto hers for a moment, Gabriella feeling a pain as he pushed himself deep inside her. "Gabriella!"

That was it. His body trembles a little before then crashing down onto hers. Tears were in her eyes from the pain, but it didn't matter. She does her best to try to blink them away as Troy was breathing heavily. Her eyes close as her arms wrap around his body, trying to pull him as close as possible, never wanting to let him go.

"Are you ok?" He asks when his breath calms down. Sweat was raining down the side of his tan face as he looks at her with concern. His arms prop himself up while the blue eyes connect with the deep brown, the gold in the basketball pendent sparkling even in the pitch black.

She nods slowly as her fingers run through his wet hair. "I'm ok…" She whispers in a small voice as Troy leans down slowly. Their lips connect with both of their eyes closed, not wanting to be anywhere else.

He pulls apart while then placing his arm above her head and looking down at her like he was looking at the world. His thumb gently strokes the hair that was sticking to her face away as their eyes never left each other. "I'm so sorry." He whispers while leaning his head down onto her forehead.

Gabriella looks down to his nude chest to see that the bruise on his abs was starting to turn a sick color. Her head nods as his lips connect with her right temple. "I know…" She whispers while looking back up at him. "But promise me something." She whispers.

Troy's eyebrows rise a little while he gently kisses her nose. "Anything."

"Promise me neither one of us are going to be addicted to anything else." She states. Her body was starting to turn cold as the sweat was drying from it, but Troy's eyes had so much heat radiating from them, it could have warmed the sun.

"I promise… unless my addiction is you." He says while pressing another sweet kiss onto her lips.


	41. Don't Stop Believing

She was perfect. The way the white material curved around her flat skinned body. Her creamy skin glowed in the light, but it seemed more that her own internal light was radiating more then the sun that was shining through the windows. The now shoulder length, light brown hair was pulled half up in perfection, with curls radiating her thin shoulders. The light brown eyes were pouring love out as she looks into the mirror. It seemed as though the mirror on the wall would bow down to her, for it was her day. The day that every girl had dreamed of since she was three years old. The day that would change her life, forever.

The deep brown eyes look at this woman with a small smile on her face as she spun in her white strapless wedding dress. "Liv… you look unbelievable."

Gabriella watches as Olivia's light brown eyes rip away from the mirror with her eyes bright and shining with love. Her bright white teeth were showing through her mouth as Gabriella couldn't help but feel jealousy at how perfect the twenty-six year old looked. But she had to kill that thought, shove it to the ground, for it was Olivia Walker's wedding day. She was able to have the thunder, whether Gabriella was jealous or not.

"Thanks Gabs." Olivia says while her breathing was extremely fast.

It seemed like only yesterday, Gabriella was in the store with Olivia shopping for her orange, perfect homecoming dress. Nine years later, she was standing in the mirror with her wedding dress on that made Gabriella smile softly in the same way. So much had changed since then, yet things were still the same. Like Gabriella's feeling of inferiority to her since Olivia was perfect. Completely flawless. But what had changed since the day she went homecoming shopping with her?

Gabriella knew that she was gorgeous also.

"Honey, he's not going to be able to take his eyes off you." The dark girl says while Gabriella looks over to her best friend to see her in the spaghetti strapped light blue dress that came to above her knee. Her hair was half up also, though hers was straight. Gabriella looks down at the matching dress on her body that fit her curves perfectly. Her midnight black hair that still drapes over her body was curled and pulled half up also, with her flowers sitting on a table in the corner. Gabriella's small, recently manicured hands grab her small stomach reflexively as Olivia's body glows with perfection again while Taylor gives her a knowing smile.

Gabriella's eyes look to the other two women standing there, with their hair pulled up in the same way. One of them was small, with little glasses that framed her face since she refused to buy contacts all through high school and college. And then the other cousin of the bride, Julia, the bridesmaid, who looked almost as happy as Olivia did. Almost.

There was suddenly a knock on the door as Gabriella's head turns around. A tight afro'ed dark guy sticks his head in, Gabriella noticing how much his own face had lengthened and become older then when he was a junior in high school. He looks thinner, maybe playing basketball for UCLA with his best friend really helped. "You guys ready? My feet are starting to kill and the priest said that he's got another wedding in an hour… Shit Walker! He's gonna die when he sees you!" Taylor's fiancé says before shutting the door.

Olivia's face completely pales as she spins around like a tornado loose. Panic floods onto her flawless features as she immediately turns to the mirror and stares. "Oh my God… oh my God!" She exclaims while Gabriella, Taylor and Kelsi all exchange nervous glances. "I can't do this, I can't…"

"Yes you can… just calm down…" Taylor tries to soothe as Gabriella just stands in the back and watches. After going to Stanford for a year and Taylor going out East along with Kelsi, she had become so much closer to Olivia, putting her jealousy of her perfect body behind her. They weren't best friends, but after living down the hallway from her, they had become close enough.

"No! I just… it's too soon… we broke up again less than a year ago… he can't want this again…this is out of control…" She starts to freak out. Gabriella could almost feel the panic seep into her own veins, reminding her of two years ago. She takes a few steps forward and places a hand on Olivia's bare, bronze shoulder while her eyes were still wide. Gabriella's dark chocolate brown eyes lock with the light brown. Her once enemy breathes harshly as though she was going to have a panic attack while Gabriella shakes her head slowly.

"But you guys got back together after a month right?" She asks while tossing her curly hair behind her shoulders. A small smile plays on her lips. All the jealousy she had ever felt was slowly slipping away. She had to be a better friend then that. "Trust me, he loves you ok? I'd know more than anyone." Gabriella's smooth voice says while she reaches up and touches the small gold chain on her neck. "He's told me a million times over her loves you. Believe me ok?"

Olivia takes a deep breath as Gabriella could see her eyes swimming with small, nervous tears. "I just… I don't want to make a mistake… I mean, he just popped the question three months ago. Everything seems too soon. I just… I feel like… I'm loosing control…" She says softly as her pink, glossed lips close together to hold in the tears to not mess up her make up.

Control. It was such a simple, yet haunting word that made Gabriella's stomach turn over again. She hadn't purged in over seven years, which was a result of a short, four month break up with her best friend and boyfriend of two years while they hadn't seen each other in over two months. She never doubted his love for her, but after being attached at his hip for so many years, and then suddenly be apart for that long while he was at UCLA, it took a toll on them. She relapsed for about a week, before realizing everything that she had ever worked for was falling down the drain. She could remember calling her best friend that night, crying her eyes out. He had then jumped in the car and drove at top speed, barely making it without a speeding ticket, and just held her for the entire night. Even if they were fighting, it didn't matter. Her best friend was there like he promised he would be. Promised he'd never leave her. Never let her go.

Gabriella smiles a little as she nods. "It's scary… we know…" She says while glancing to the still small girl to see the ring on her finger that represented her marriage to a guitar player she met out East after breaking up with Jason. A lazy, distant smile drapes across her face as she looks into Olivia's perfect one. Her hand reflexively moves to her stomach to hold it, hold what was small… for the moment. "Someone once told me that life isn't always about being in control." She says while still holding her stomach, knowing that it was the furthest thing from being in control right now. But she wouldn't have it any other way. Taylor smiles at the hand as Gabriella's eyes begin to sparkle. "And you know what? The guy couldn't have been more right. It's hard, but sometimes…" She says while glancing down, almost listening for the second heartbeat that would be beating inside her in a few months. "… miracles come from it."

Olivia takes a deep breath as she pulls Gabriella to her, almost crushing the small girl's bones. "Thanks Gabs… you always know what to say." She says while Gabriella holds her tightly. The two girls pull apart as Olivia takes a deep breath and looks at all of the girls. "Ok… I wanna get married."

All five of the squeal. Gabriella, Taylor, and Kelsi all grab their bouquets of flowers and walk towards the bedroom door, letting Julia and Olivia had a few more moments before they came down Julia's house in LA also, where she and Olivia now lived, until after tonight. "So… you haven't told her yet?" Taylor asks as their light blue heels hit each of the stairs.

Gabriella's eyes grow wide for a moment before she places her finger up to her lips. "Shhh! No, it's her day, I don't want to steal her thunder… and you two plus Chad are the only ones who do. I haven't gotten around to telling Shar yet, but she and Justin looked pretty cozy in the front row, so I don't want to bother her today." She states in a secretive tone as their heels hit the stairs to reveal the glass doors were open, while five men plus a flower girl and ring barer were standing. It was the perfect backyard wedding.

Her eyes look outside and she gasps slightly. There were less than a hundred white chairs set up all facing a white archway with pink flowers draped over it. There was a light wooded platform with a man holding a bible in his hands. A completely pale man with dark hair was standing there shaking as all eyes were up on him. Chad was standing next to him, proudly since the two had gotten extremely close during college, after he turned his act around. "It's beautiful…" Kelsi lets out as the peek out the doors, Gabriella's breath suddenly getting caught in her throat.

She didn't understand how he did it after all these years. Even though she knew everything about him, it was still a mystery to her. Her stomach still flipped the same way as her eyes lock on him. The tan skin was radiating off of his body as the sun beat down onto it. His black tux made him look so much more mature, reminding Gabriella of the way he looked on his own wedding day. His chestnut brown hair still fell over his eyebrows a little, but was more mature then his jock high school cut. Even from over fifty feet away, she could still see the piercing, drowning ocean blue eyes shine as though they were brighter than the bright sun. Gabriella's heart begins to pound faster as his head flips a little to get the hair out of his eyes, unaware that she was staring at him from inside the house. Her hand slips down to her stomach again, closing her eyes almost as though feeling a part of that man growing inside her.

"Mrs. Bolton…" A voice rings in her ear but she couldn't rip her eyes from him. It wasn't until a soft hand rests on her shoulder that she was brought out of her trance from staring at the love of her life and into the face of one of the wedding planner. She had almost an irritated look on her face, but Gabriella didn't care. Her eyes blink again as the woman with high cheek bones points to the rest of the group, the guys now standing with the girls and Olivia's arm with her father's. The only one who had an opening was Olivia's brother. All of them were staring at her as she could feel a blush erupt on her olive cheeks. "Mrs. Bolton, if you'd be so kind…" The planner says in a snotty voice.

Gabriella sighs as she turns and walks to Allen, who was much younger than her. She smiles at him while glancing back to see Olivia's face was almost the color of her dress. Her eyes look down as she laces her arm with his, looking at the gold wedding band on her left finger. "You look great." Allen says while Gabriella smiles at the younger guy.

"Thanks Allen." She says while looking down for a moment.

Before she knew what was happening, her heels take steps outside after Kelsi and one of Carlos' friends step out of the glass doors of the house. The sun shines down on Gabriella's face for a moment, illuminating her olive skin in a perfect way that she had no idea did. Her parents were sitting towards the front with her aunt and uncle, but Gabriella could only feel one pair of eyes on her. The only ones that mattered.

Her eyes blink for a moment, before they open up slowly and feel her breath get completely sucked out of her. Standing on the platform before her was him. The one person she woke up to every morning and never wanted to be apart from. His piercing blue eyes were locked on her, with so much love that it was almost immeasurable. His mouth was opened slightly, and he held the same look on his face that he did when she was walking down the aisle with her father two years ago in her white strapless dress that fit her so perfectly.

As they reach the end of the aisle, Allen and Gabriella separate. She walks up the steps and stands next to Kelsi, but barely notices. Her eyes were still locked on the drowning ocean blue ones that had a sparkle in it. She didn't even notice the music change, nor did he as everyone stands up and looks to the bride coming in. Neither noticed as Olivia walked up to Carlos and grab hands with him, with love in their eyes that would never be taken away. All throughout the vows, Gabriella's eyes remained on Troy's, who was staring at her like she owned his body, soul. But that's what happens when she owned his heart.

"Do you, Olivia Jane Walker, take Carlos Lee Montez…" The priest starts to say, but Gabriella still wasn't paying attention. Troy's lips suddenly move, forming the shapes "I love you" to her as Olivia says I do. She smiles back at him and opens her mouth also, whispering I love you back. "You may now kiss the bride."

Their eyes didn't leave each other as Olivia and Carlos kissed. Their eyes didn't leave each other while the entire crowd clapped. Because nothing, nothing would ever make them want to see anyone else. Not in this moment, nor in any other moment. As long as she lived.

* * *

Her body collapses as her back gives out on her. Sweat glistens on smooth olive skin as she opens her bruised lips to gasp for breath. Her eyes were shut, as she didn't seem to have the energy to open them. She could feel the body above her breathing panting also as his hands were placed above her head, lifting his torso up as though not to crush her stomach, though she knew that nothing would happen since a bulge hadn't formed yet. "You're ok?" The hitched voice asks while her eyes look up and try to look through the black hair that was sticking to her forehead. The deep brown eyes connect with the piercing blue with concern that was radiating from them. She smiles and nods slowly. "I didn't hurt you or anything?"

Gabriella laughs a little as she shakes her head again. One of the rooms in Julia and Olivia's house was completely black as all she could see was the tan, glowing skin above her. In the corner of the room somewhere was his black rented suit along with Gabriella's powdered blue dress. The reception had ended an hour ago, though Gabriella and her husband managed to make it out two hours ago, unable to hold their emotions any longer. It was also perfect timing because everyone at the wedding seemed to be getting tipsy, and since Gabriella couldn't have alcohol, her husband thought it'd be best if they left and he was sober also, only having a small glass of champagne that was served with dinner.

"No Troy." She says while letting her fingers run through his messed up, bed head chestnut brown hair. He smirks his bright white sexy smirk at her while her head leans up to connect their lips together, even though they had just gotten done sending fireworks through their bodies, she could still feel sparklers shooting through her nerve endings. "You didn't hurt me."

His left hand gently plays with the almost black curl that fell onto her shoulder, making her hair tickle against her skin. "Sorry… I know I'm anal I just…" He says while his eyes look back up to hers and connect them together, making Gabriella's body wave heat. "I can't believe it…"

Troy places one last kiss onto Gabriella's forehead before rolling off of her. She immediately feels the emptiness of the twenty-seven year old above her, but then feels him lean on his side next to her, making it her cue to turn the same way. His arm pulls her waist close to him, almost as though protecting the little human being that was starting to grow in Gabriella's body.

She couldn't remember a time she saw him this happy. This ecstatic. Maybe it was while they were on their honeymoon in Jamaica. He hadn't been this excited about something since then. Not when he graduated and was told he should be drafted in the NBA, though he turned it down to stay with Gabriella and go into sport's marketing with Chad. Not when he and Gabriella bought their first house, which was stationed in Sacramento.

For some reason, sleep wasn't coming to her. Her mind was wrapped up in too many other things to think about sleep. She couldn't hear Troy's steady breathing either, which meant he wasn't sleeping either. It was just like their sympathy pains when they were just kids. If she couldn't sleep, neither could he.

Slowly, she lifts her head up and then her shoulders, glancing down to see that Troy was narrowing his piercing blue orbs in confusion. His arm reflexively pulls her to him, so she could feel the hard six pack abs against her back and his softness against her butt. "I'll be right back." She whispers while leaning down and placing a small kiss onto his perfect lips.

She gets up slowly, revealing her totally nude body to him, and couldn't help but get the same feelings of insecurity about her body as the first night she slept with him on Christmas morning. Even though he had seen her naked a million and a half times. He had touched every inch of her body, pressed his lips against every stitch of skin, and stared at her with love, she would never truly get over it. Never.

Though the lights were off and it was rounding close to three in the morning, Gabriella could see the bright moonlight shining into the room, illuminating the floor. Her hands reach down and grab a black, translucent silk robe that she had brought. She slips it over her shoulders and slowly walks towards the long, body length window of death. It takes a moment before her full body shines back in the glass, but as it does her eyes look up to see what was staring back at her.

It had been so long. So long that she had struggled with the image in the mirror. It almost stole her teenage years, her life, away. Once, long ago, she would look into this mirror and see that her thighs were the size of an elephant's. Her neck would be the owner of three chins, her face would look as though she belonged in a sumo wrestling match. And her stomach, her stomach would have looked as though it would burst from having so much content in it. It would physically make her throw up just looking at herself.

Gabriella hears a shift on the bed as a couple footsteps. There was a pause, which Gabriella assumes that he was putting on his boxers. But her eyes look to the mirror again. Now, almost ten years later, she looked in the mirror and saw something else. She saw a psychologist who focused on eating disorders. In the curves of her chest that still could be revealed even under the black robe, she saw a daughter who had turned out to be every parents dream. In the depths of her dark hair, she saw a friend who was there for anyone whenever they needed it. And in her left dark chocolate brown eye, she saw a best friend, one the other played in the sandbox with as a four year old. And in the right eye? She saw a lover, and soon to be mother of her lover's child.

The deep brown orbs look at the mirror to see that the piercing blue orbs were hovering towards her. Gently, he wraps his arms around her waist from behind; over her stomach protectively, while resting his chin against her shoulder, before kissing it gently. "It's just a reflection." Troy states while looking at her in the mirror again. "It doesn't mean anything."

She smiles softly while turning around in Troy's arms, wrapping her own around his neck. After all these years, Troy had been there for her through so much. He might have been what triggered the eating disorder that one night, but it was going to happen eventually. It was what she was destined to become. It was a curse, and she wished that she would have never had it. Yet, in the same light, it was what made her strong through these years.

"I know." She whispers as Troy pulls apart, his eyes sparkling in the blue glow of the moonlight.

He smiles softly before gently placing his lips onto hers. She breathes in deeply, trying to take in the Troy Bolton scent that she fell in love with so many years ago. But every time she took in his musky smell that just made Troy… well Troy, she fell in love with him all over again. He breaks apart from her and slowly runs his hands down her bare chest and stomach while sliding down also, making Gabriella's body tremble a little. His knees hit the floor as his eyes stare right at where her bellybutton ring should have been, but she had to take it out since she wasn't the only one living in her body anymore.

"They're really in there huh?" He asks as she could see the shine of his piercing blue staring at her olive skin with more love in his eyes then anything she had ever seen. They hadn't planned this, since both wanted to wait another two years before they started to settle down. But after she found out she was pregnant, both realized this was everything they ever wanted. "God… I just…" He says while Gabriella smiles down, seeing the glint of the gold basketball pendent that had lasted all these years still around her neck. "You're gonna be a mom…"

With that he places his cheek against her bare stomach, as though trying to hear his child inside her. Gabriella smiles as she dips her hands into his hair, pulling him closer. His eyes close, along with hers. She could remember when they were five years old, Troy with his stringy hair and gapped teeth, playing house and being a mommy and a daddy. Well now? They weren't going to play. This was real.

Slowly, Gabriella slides down also so Troy's head skims up her chest. Her knees hit the floor also while his piercing blue bore into her deep brown. A grin breaks out onto her face as she looks at him. "You're gonna be a dad…" His lips connect with hers as she feels electrifying sensations shooting through her nerves. But then they both let go at the same time and Gabriella looks to the mirror again. Both she and Troy were kneeling sideways. Her eyes look to her nude stomach, suddenly imagining nine months from now. "I'm gonna be huge…"

"No… Gab… you're gonna be beautiful." He says while looking towards the mirror also. Her eyes look down at her thin stomach for the moment, then connect up with Troy's eyes to see love spilling out of them. "And I love you Gabriella Bolton… no matter if you're a hundred pounds or five hundred." He says while leaning his forehead against hers. "I love you."

Gabriella looks up into his eyes, almost feeling her own cloud with tears. "I love you too Troy." She says before wrapping her arms closer to him, so her head was in the crook of his neck, and he was holding her body with all the love he could possibly give.

Troy Bolton had been Gabriella's everything. He was her stranger at three, her acquaintance when they first met. He had been her enemy when he told her parents around her eating disorder and when he made her stop. He had been her playmate, her teammate, her brother. But there were only two things that he would always be. They would never die, nor go away. He would always be her lover, always and forever. Until they both died, she would always love him. But there was something more important than that. Something deeper, a bond that only she and Troy shared. No matter what happened, Troy Bolton would always, always be Gabriella's best friend.

As she feels his strong arms tightly hold her as their smooth skins were connected as one, she looks to the side again to see her reflection one more time. Her eating disorder would always be a part of her. Always. It was just who she was. She would never feel fully comfortable with her body, never fully appreciate how beautiful she really was. Her almost black hair falls away from her face as she grips Troy's tan shoulder, her deep brown eyes staring into the identical deep brown eyes back at her. She was going to be huge. It was everything she had ever feared. She was pregnant now; she had no control over her body weight. She was jumping into her worst fear in high school.

The eyes stay connected with her own reflection as a small smile plays her face. She grips Troy's shoulder tighter while gently leaning down and placing a kiss onto the soft skin. Never wanting to let go.

It may have been her worst fear, but she was ready for it. As long as she had her best friend in her arms, she was ready for anything.

* * *

**A/N: So this is it. It's been a long road, a lot of ups and downs, but this is finally it. It was really hard to write this chapter. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you with this. I know a lot of people had an issue with this story, but I just want to thank everyone for reading it. It really means the world to me that you took your time to give this a chance. If there was anything I really wanted from this story, it was that maybe I helped someone with this issue, because it is truely important in today's life. I hope you liked this story, because I liked writing it. You're reviews were incredible, I mean, over 2000? All I have to say about that is THANK YOU! Truely, you guys make the story. So I hope you guys really liked Never Let Go, and just thank you so much! **

**And as for me stopping or not. I really sat down and thought about what I wanted. It was really truely hard to think about, because I love to write, but I wasn't sure if it was my time to stop or not. I want to thank you guys for some of your comments and PMs on why I shouldn't stop. They really meant the world to me, but I had to sit down and realize what was best for me. Anyways, thank you so much. And after thinking long and hard about it, I realized there was only one thing I really wanted. So for if this is my last story...**

**Let's just say keep your eyes open for the rest of the day or tomorrow for a new story called Forgetting to Love.**


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